For the World is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky
by The Wanlorn
Summary: Mischeif, mayhem, angst. The adventures of a girl through life in different realms. RRE
1. Chapter One

**For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky**

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(A/N:  Well, some people (all of 2, maybe?) wanted a Nire story, so, here it is.  I'm just gonna put up the first chapter till I see how well it's doing.  So, if you want more, let's have some good reviews.  'Kay?  As always, read and review.  Ummm…  That's all, folks!)

Discalimer: Good gods, I'm going to have to do a disclaimer every five seconds in this tale!  Okay…let's see…in this chapter…reading it…oh, good.  Raistlin Majere belongs to…shit, I don't remember the particular author, but on a whole, Wizard of the Coast publishing company.  This is a work of fiction (sort of).  Any resemblance to a person, place, or thing is (probably) entirely on purpose (especially when dealing with Nire's family).  Yada yada yada (good gods!  I'm watching Seinfeld too much.  Say, anyone want to come to my house for a Festivus celebration…)

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**Chapter One**

            She was nine.  Only nine years old, and the world had already fucked her over.  She was lucky in some ways.  Her family wasn't poor, and her parents were still together.  She had a roof over her head, and she supposed she had a family who loved her.  She was always well fed - oh, yes, she could attest to that.  On the surface, she was a normal girl, in a wonderful family.  None of the dysfunction appeared to the outside world.

            On the surface, she was a happy kid.  But she had learned early on the real rules of the world.  Her sister, Kerry, was the kind of girl society loved.  She was thin, petite, cute, and popular, a real social butterfly.  By studying hard, she managed to get straight A's.  She was the favorite of every teacher.  Nire, on the other hand, was none of these things.  She was fat, tall, ugly, had few (of any) friends, and was a loner - even at a young age.  She was smarter than most of her teachers, and didn't need to study to get straight A's - hell, almost straight 100s.  But she found out early enough that that wasn't enough.  She wasn't willing to play the suck-up game like her sister was, so the teachers didn't like her.  She was always passed over for opportunities and awards because of that.  AS an early age, she learned that the world isn't about fairness, but about personality and politics.

            So, she was a loner, one of the few, the forgotten, the unknown.  She saw into the world deep enough to scare those she talked to, and not just in the outside world.  She was an outcast, in life and in her family.  Her sister was the one loved by everyone - the one who always got her way.  Kerry was the favorite of the family - even though the two parents didn't realize it.  She was the social one, the one who knew how to interact with people, so she always got whatever she wanted.  Nire usually didn't give a shit either way, and usually faded into the background.  She was the one nobody noticed - and the one who noticed everyone.

            It was Nire who saw the evil side to her sister, the one hidden under the perfect exterior.  She was the only one that saw that Kerry had the mean streak that made her cruel to anyone who wasn't pretty and popular.  Nire saw in shades of gray, whereas Kerry saw only in Kerry's shade of black and Kerry's shade of white.  Nire was the one who saw how much of a bastard and a hypocrite her father was.  She hated him, and Kerry, and tended to stay secluded in her room.  Living with those two, with the family, was almost a living hell.

            The only refuges Nire had from her life were the woods, music, and her books.  She was a gifted musician - able to play the piano at a very early age and picking up on the flute quickly, once she bought one.  Nire absolutely loved the outdoors, even though she was very overweight.  She would spend hours, just sitting under a tree down in the woods on her property, just enjoying the quietness and the solitude.  By the time she was three, she could read almost as well as an adult.  When she was nine, she got into fantasy - Tolkein first, of course, then a myriad of others.  She spent most of her time reading, lost in the worlds of her books.

            By the time Nire was nine, she was depressed most of the time.  Nobody knew it, though - she was phenomenally adept at hiding things.  She lied, all the time.  The way she saw life was that the number one rule was to never trust anyone, never give anyone anything they could use against you.  She had learned that it was pointless to trust anyone - they would always end up hurting you in the end.  At some point of other, she had been - well, not friends, but acquaintances - with all of the kids who were now popular.  As soon as they had started climbing the social ladder, they would ditch her.  So now, Nire did not open her heart to anyone.  Once people started getting too close, she would push them away.

            But Nire was happy as she was.  At least, she thought she was.  From what she could see, the rest of people her age were shallow.  But she knew how the world worked.  Older people still saw her as a little kid, yet she was light-years ahead of everyone else her age.  Thus, she was a loner.  A bitter, cynical loner at the age of nine.

*  *  *  *  *

            Her life would change, though.  That fateful day came during the summer before she turned ten.  It was boiling hot out, but she couldn't stand to be inside the house.  Her father was being more of an asshole than usual.  Even though she hated hot weather - she was so overweight that it made her horribly uncomfortable - she had run outside, into the woods.  Of course, she stopped running soon, for she wasn't athletic in the least.  She headed directly for her secret grove, making doubly sure not to leave a trail.  In her hand, she carried the latest book she was reading, from a new series she had discovered - Brothers Majere in the Dragonlance series.  She settled down against her tree, sheltered from the rest of the world by a ring of pine tree, and began to read.  She allowed herself to become lost in the world of Raistlin and Caramon Majere, a welcome respite from her world, and her life on Earth.

            Nire figured that she must have been sitting there for at least an hour - she was almost halfway through the book.  Maybe it was safe to go back now - maybe her father had left to go to the store of something.

            She raised her eyes from her book, putting in the bookmark and dropping it into her lap.  She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the last few minutes of silence she had before going back tot he hellhole she called a home.  She sensed a sudden shift in the air, barely perceptible, and opened her eyes.  It wasn't the shift of a coming storm, or weather change, so she opened her eyes, holding perfectly still.  The only thing that moved was her eyes, flickering around the grove, and her nostrils, flaring a little as she sniffed the air.  She couldn't detect the smell of coming rain, that special smell that heralded an imminent thunderstorm.  Everything looked normal, except…there!  Her eyes abruptly flickered back to a spot a couple yards in front of her.  The air there was shimmering slightly, as when the heat waves are rising from the boiling hot pavement.  Only, there was no pavement here, just grass and pine needles.

            She stared at the spot, waiting.  She knew that something out of the ordinary was happening, something that could end up either in bloodshed, or being something very special.  She laughed inwardly - she had always been a bit melodramatic.  Her silent waiting paid off.  A form started to fade in on the shimmering spot.  As it became clearer, her heart began to beat a little faster - she wasn't frightened, not exactly.  She was more…excited.

            The form took on solidity and shape.  Nire was careful to stay as still as she could, to not draw attention to herself.  There was a man standing with his back to her.  At least, she was pretty sure it was a man.  He was dressed in a flowing, red robe that brushed the pine needles that carpeted the forest floor.  White hair streaked with gray fell to slightly below his shoulders.  He was muttering something to himself in either gibberish or a foreign language.  As she watched, he slowly turned around, his eyes almost passing over her.  Then he did a double take.  He said something to her, which she obviously didn't understand.

            Nire blinked, then smiled slightly.  "I have absolutely no clue what you're saying," she said, shaking her head slightly.  She was very careful to speak "proper English", eliminating her accent as much as she could.  Now she could see the man from the front, and was he ever strange looking!  White hair, golden skin, golden eyes with hourglass pupils, everything golden and shining in the sun.  He looked thin, sickly, and malnourished, brittle and easy to break.  Yet, an aura of power exuded from him.  Around his waist was a belt with pouches that were obviously filled with herbs and powders.

            The man crouched down in front of her.  "Do not be afraid, child," he said in perfect English.  There was no kind of accent that Nire could discern, not even the New England one she had.  "I mean you no harm.  Could you tell me what world I am in?"

            "I don't know," Nire said confidently, staring straight back into his strange eyes.  She still tried to eliminate all traces of her own accent.  "If I do, will you stop talking to me like I'm a five-year-old?"  She was not afraid of him - there was nothing she could do to protect herself from him if he proved to be hostile, so there was no point in feeling fear.  It would just be wasted energy.

            Her comment seemed to set him back on his heels.  But he quickly recovered from his shock and let out a low, appreciative chuckle.  "You are a fearless one, all right.  Could you tell me what world I am on?"

            Nire stood up, as did he, and looked him up and down.  "Earth.  Who are you?"

            He seemed to be looking her up and down now, taking her measure.  She stood defiantly, waiting for an answer.  Finally, he said, "Raistlin Majere."

            Nire slowly looked down at her book, then back up at him and cocked an eyebrow.  "Reeeeally."

            Raistlin extended a hand in silent request.  Nire placed the book in his bony hand, then crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.  He looked at the front, flipped it over to the back, and seemed to read it.  Then he handed to back to her with a slight smile.

            "I had not thought these had reached as far as Earth.  Yes, that is about my brother, Caramon, and I."

            "Prove it," Nire said shortly.  She had learned not to take anything anyone said as true without some concrete evidence.

*  *  *  *  *

            Raistlin knew the moment the new place started fading in around him that he had done something wrong.  He swore to himself once the world became substantial, and started to turn around, looking at the woods he was in.  His eyes almost passed over the child sitting against the tree with a book in her lap, she blended in so well.  Then he did a double take.

            "Hello, child," he said gently.  "Would you be so kind as to tell me what world this is?"

            The girl-child blinked at him.  She looked to be about nine or ten, not the prettiest child in the world - too fat, without the cutesy face of most children. She had wild, curly brown hair that fell to just below her ears, held back from her face by a black headband.  Her eyes weren't exactly blue, but they weren't exactly gray, either.  They were an in descript color of blue-gray.  The most amazing thing was that, although he saw the forest around her wither and die, she herself didn't.  She grew older, true, but did not die.  It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen, for even elves withered to his hourglass eyes.  That was the curse of the hourglass pupils - to see people as they would be far in the future.

            She told him she couldn't understand him.  Luckily, he had thought to use that spell to allow him to speak any language once he had heard it.  She was a fearless child, and he liked that.  Although she was an ugly little girl, she had spirit.  And she knew a bit about him - she was reading a book about him and his twin, Brothers Majere.  This could be an interesting time in this particular realm.  She demanded proof that he really was Raistlin Majere.

            "What would you like?  I have the hourglass pupils, golden everything, what more would you want?"

            Nire thought for a second.  A wistful look crossed her face, which she quickly masked.  "Magic?"

            Raistlin liked this girl.  There was something about her - she seemed to be a loner, like him.  "You want to see some magic?  All right, child."  He cast a simple cantrip for her, a burst of sparkles and flashing lights.

            She snorted and looked skeptical.  "I could do that with fireworks."  Then her face turned to a thoughtful visage.  "I wonder…"

            Raistlin looked on in faint amusement as she closed her eyes in fierce concentration, the tip of her tongue protruding from the corner of her mouth.  Then, to his surprise, she copied his movements exactly, producing her own flash of sparks and lights.  This child had talent, if she could do that.

            Nire looked slightly surprised and elated at the same time, and once again quickly masked it.  "Okay, now I believe you.  May I ask what you are doing here on Earth?"

            "Testing out a gate spell."  Raistlin considered the child.  From what he had seen in the few minutes he had been in this realm, she was powerful.  That must have been what had thrown off the gate spell - it had been drawn to her power.  She had been able to cast that cantrip after seeing him do it a mere one time.  That was another thing - the cantrip had used up more power than it should have.  Possibly, magic was hard work in this realm.

            Nire was regarding him, too, with fierce intensity.  From what she had read, Raistlin Majere was evil.  But hadn't he given his life, or something like that, for some good cause?  She would dearly love to learn magic - it had surprised her that she had been able to cast that spell.  Perhaps she had some sort of talent…but how to ask?  Unlike her usual blunt way, which had mixed results, she wanted to do so in a way that he would be hard-pressed to refuse.  Admittedly, she had only known him for a few moments, yet she had read about him.  And he looked weak, so she could just sit on him and crush him like a twig if he got nasty.  It looked like he was made of skin and bones.

            Raistlin was still musing.  If this child was brought under his tutelage, and influenced by him…  Of course, he couldn't tell by just that one instance if the girl-child would be useful, but she showed potential.

            "What is _your name, child?" he asked._

            She looked at him for a moment with a calculating look in her eyes.  Then she said, simple, "Nire."

            "Well, how would you like to learn magic from me?"

            At this point, Nire's mother caller her, the sound drifting faintly through the trees.  Nire glanced in the direction the sound had come from.

            "I hafta go.  Come back at the same time tomorrow, and I'll give you an answer."  That call was more insistent this time.  "Coming!" Nire yelled, then turned back to Raistlin.  "Same time tomorrow?"

            Raistlin nodded curtly.  By the look in the girl's eyes, he was fairly certain she would say yes.  He would merely leave the gate open.  Nire set off towards her house - that was what Raistlin assumed lay in that direction - at a jog.  He stood for a moment, then returned to his tower on Krynn.  Plans needed to be laid - he could not bring the girl to stay at his tower.  The culture shock would be too great.  She was obviously from a society of advanced technology, what with the type of clothes she was wearing.  That was the type he had seen on other worlds with advanced technology.

            He readied a small room they could use.  He wondered if the child would have enough discipline to become a mighty mage, or even a minor one.  He had tried a brief mind probe on her, which she had deflected without knowing it.  Although he did not have a use for her immediately, it was always good to be prepared.

            Raistlin's thoughts were broken off by a fit of coughing.  The coppery taste of blood was in his mouth, and the red stain of it flecking his lips and handkerchief.  He stopped his preparations, going downstairs to get a cup of his special tea.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire impatiently waited for the appointed hour to arrive.  She did not want to leave for her secret spot until a few moments before Raistlin was due to be back.  She wasn't sure if he would actually be there, but leaving right before would allow her to be down there for longer.  It was usually an hour and a half before one of her parents started to call her.

            She fidgeted in her room for a while, until she couldn't stand it anymore.

            "Goin' fuh a walk in th' woods!" she yelled and high-tailed it out of there.  Her father was in a bad mood, as usual, and was giving the cold shoulder to everyone.  Being outside was a wonderful release form the tension in the household, and it was a bit cool and less humid than the day before.

            She settled against her tree.  She would have to be careful, and keep her emotional distance from the mage.  It would not do if she pushed him away before she learned all she could.  The girl was glad she had been gifted with an unusually keen ability to see the world around her, which allowed her to see that fact.

            At exactly the appointed time, the mage faded in before her.  Nire rose to her feet on impulse, not out of respect.

            "Well?" Raistlin said impatiently.  He had been up most of the night in coughing fits, and was not in a good mood.

            "Yes."  Nire was prone to answering everything she could in monosyllables.

            Raistlin nodded curtly.  "Come with me, then."  He held out a golden hand.  That was the only way to get through this type of magic gate - be touching the one who cast it.

            Nire looked at him untrustingly for a moment, then seemed to shrug to herself and took his hand.  They took a step, and stood as the world of Krynn and Raistlin's tower faded in around them.  Once everything was solid and substantial, Nire dropped Raistlin's hand.  She did not really like physical contact with people.

            "I've got about an hour and a half."

            Raistlin seemed about to say something, but then just looked at her and said, "Fine.  Come."

            _So, Nire thought, __he is a man of few words.  "What do I learn first?" she asked aloud._

            "To be silent," Raistlin replied.

            Nire grinned to herself - that wasn't too hard.  She followed him to a tiny, bare room.  There was a single spellbook on a stand.  The walls and floor were bare stone.  The only other things in the room were two chairs.

            "First, I must cast a spell on you to allow you to understand and speak Common."

            Nire did not object, so he did it.  When Raistlin started to speak again, Nire was aware he had switched to a different language - Common - but found she was able to understand him.

            "Sit."  Raistlin sat, holding his staff in front of him.  "You must learn how to pronounce words in the language of magic."

            "Why not just use another spell?"  Nire looked at him, honestly wanting to know the answer.

            "Because that's not how it's done."

            Nire raised an eyebrow again.  "You don't know, do you?"

            Raistlin sighed inwardly.  Was this even worth it?  "Nobody has been able to invent a spell that will teach the language of magic.  It just can't be done.  You have to practice to get it.  Now, _a is pronounced as __ai.  Say it."_

            "Ai."  She paused for a beat.  "Yi yi."

            Raistlin struggled not to grin.  She had a sense of humor.  He made her continue repeating it until he was satisfied, which didn't take long.  In fact, teaching her every singly pronunciation, and having her repeat them back to him on her own, only took a half hour.  She was good with languages.

            "Why do you want to learn magic?"

            Raistlin's question took Nire by surprise.  Nonetheless, it only took her a couple seconds to come up with an answer.

            "Power.  I want power.  And no one in my world can perform anything more than parlor tricks," That was all she was willing to say.  But there was more.  If she learned magic, she could come live in this world.  To her, reading about it, Krynn sounded better than Earth.

            Raistlin did not give any sign that he had even heard her words.  "Now you must learn herbs and practice penmanship."


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

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Disclaimer:  Raistlin, Caramon, Flint, Tanis, Tas, and the Heroes of the Lance in general belong to the Dragonlance series owned by WotC.  Magnus D'Armand (Gar) and Alea Larsdatter belong to Christopher Stasheff, as does Herkimer.  The rest are mine, unless I forgot someone, and then you'll recognize them.  NO money for me from this!

            Over the next month, Nire learned much.  She came to Raistlin's tower for an hour and a half every day.  She was a quick learner, and had a lot of talent.  She had learned more in one month than Raistlin thought was possible for one person.  To be quite honest, he was a tad but jealous.  But, strangely, not filled with the rage he had been during his Test, when the image of Caramon had possessed magic.  As Nire became comfortable in his presence, her accent became apparent, even when speaking Common.  She tended to say _ah instead of __ar, for everything, and left the __t out of words, just ending them abruptly in the spot where a __t was, with a sort of click in her throat.  On the end of __ing, there was no __g, and there were more little things that he couldn't really describe._

            Her memory was phenomenal.  She only had to see or hear a thing a couple times to commit it to memory.  Her penmanship was truly terrible, though, and she spent a lot of time working on that.  She quickly learned to make the tea Raistlin drank for his cough.  One thing he appreciated about her was that she did not fuss over him like Caramon did.  The first time he had a coughing spasm in front of her, she merely stood calmly until he was done, asked if he was okay, and when he sad yes, continued on with the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Despite herself, Nire found that she was actually beginning to like the mage.  Not every day was spent learning.  Some days, they merely talked.  Raistlin found that she reminded him of himself as a child, bitter and cynical.  After a month, Nire still had not met any other than Raistlin, had never been out of his tower, although she wanted to do both.

            The day she finally met Caramon was one of those talking days.  She and Raistlin were having an argument.

            "But ya can't jus' rely on magic alone!"

            "A mage will always defeat a soldier."

            Nire growled in frustration.  "Oh yeah?  What if somehow ya happened t' lose yer magic?  What then?  Any mage'd be defeated in 'n instant, cuz y'all can't fight fuh shit!"

            "What are the odds of that happening?"

            "What ah th' odds o' it not?"

            "A mage doesn't need to fight.  In a war, the soldiers will protect the war mage."

            Nire interrupted him.  "An' what if th' soljahs ah killed, huh?  What then?"

            "Then the mage would use his magic to kill the enemy."

            "Ah, bu'cha fuhget, ya lost th' magic, somehow."

            Caramon happened to be walking by the little room.  He had head about Nire from his brother, and wanted to meet her.  What kind of child would his brother have the patience to teach?  He didn't really mean to eavesdrop, but he paused outside the door anyway.  After listening for a few minutes, he thought Nire was right, so he knocked on the door and went in.

            "I think she's right, Raist."

            "Well who asked you?"  Raistlin said exasperatedly.  "You wouldn't understand, anyway."  Caramon writhed uncomfortably under his brother's gaze.

            "Oh, do shu'up, Rais'lin.  Jus' cuz he agrees wi' me…"  She turned her attention to the big man.  "Hiya.  Ah'm Nire."

            Caramon bemusedly shook her had.  "Caramon."  This child couldn't be more than ten, and yet she was not afraid of Raistlin - hell, she was just _arguing with him - and was very bold.  He liked her already!_

            "What she's saying does make sense, Raist…" Caramon looked at Raistlin.

            Raistlin threw up his hands.  "Fine.  Yes, Nire, you're right.  Happy?"

            Nire had a mischievous glint in her eyes.  "Yeah.  An' now Ah wanna learn t' swordfight."

            "I'll do it," Caramon immediately volunteered, earning a glare from Raistlin.  "Well…"

            Raistlin just shook his head.  "Fine."  He seemed to repeat that a lot around Nire.

            She flashed a bright smile, one of her rare smiles.  "Sweet!"  Then she looked expectantly at Caramon.

            "Well…" He tried to figure out how to say this politely. After all, she was only nine or ten.

            "Wait, wait, let meh guess.  Ah can't learn anythin' 'till Ah lose some weight, o' get some muscle, o' some shit lahk that."

            "Uh, yeah."

            "Well, how'm Ah s'posed t' do that?"

            "I'll show you some stuff."

            Raistlin cleared his throat.  "How about every other day with Caramon?"

            "Deal!" Nire said happily.

            Over the next months, that was what she did.  To her dismay, instead of getting thinner, what Caramon had her doing merely changed the fat to muscle.  Her family - and schoolmates - never found this out, however.  She continued to play the role of the fat, non-athletic girl, and played it well.  Raistlin taught her to form her own gate, to wherever she wanted.  Of course, the only place she really used it to go was to Raistlin's tower and Solace.  Caramon would take her wherever she wanted to go.  He bought her whatever she wanted - a sword, clothes, anything.  She was remarkably good with weapons, too.  She met the rest of the Heroes of the Lance, too.  The lot of them became, friends, even though she was only nine.  Flint taught her to fist fight and wrestle, Tanis taught her to shoot a bow, and Tasselhoff taught her to "borrow" things (better than she could before).  The little girl and the kender made quite a pair; none of the people of Solace were safe from them.  She had fun with them, but she still did not feel that she really fit in.  She held herself aloof from them, keeping her distance a little, and not letting them get close to her.

            Her birthday was better than usual.  Raistlin got her her own spellbook.  From Caramon, came a truly beautiful sword.  There was a wooden carving from Flint of a unicorn and a dragon fighting - and, knowing her preference for dragons, the dragon was winning.  Tanis gave her her very own bow, and Tas gave her some pretty baubles.  Her family and friends just got her the usual mundane stuff.

            Under her bed was now a plethora of weaponry.  All was masked with an illusion of nothing.  None of her family was aware that they were there, nor were any of her friends.  She was becoming more withdrawn, more disenchanted with the world.  Her father suddenly decided to try and get involved in his kids lives.  Nire's mother understood that the girl didn't like to be touched all that much, but her father didn't.  He drove her absolutely nuts.  And he didn't understand that she truly did not like him.

            She was a cutter, now, and no one knew.  She was careful - she only used a safety pin, and only in places where no one could see, like her stomach.  The pin hurt just enough, and scratches from it bled a lot.  After a while, the scars faded to nothing - it was the perfect tool.  The first time, she did it on her wrists, but learned that was what stupid people did.  She had pushed up her sleeves to eat a lunch one day, and her friends had seen the marks.  Luckily, she was able to convince them that they were only cat scratches.

            Nire spent more time outside during the winter, so she could spend more time with her friends.  Sometimes, she could get three hours at a time.  Raistlin had rigged up a new spell with each gate that allowed her to hear when someone called her name.  That way, she could stay until that one moment someone started to want her.

            On Christmas Day - only ten days after her birthday - she was able to get away, and go party with the Heroes of the Lance.  Their winter celebrations were close enough the Christmas, and Nire got her first taste of beer there.  And wine.  The wine, she liked.  However, to her, beer tasted like the bile that come up after you puke.  It was a wonderful day, one where she was happier than most.

            Raistlin was having Nire practice gating to different places, creating portals and using them.  At first, it was only around Krynn.  Then, it was to different worlds.  He had discovered the land of Faerûn, and began to travel there on occasion, and had her gate there, too.  She had discovered books on the place, the Forgotten Realms series, and started reading those.  One winter day, as Nire prepared and cast a gate spell, she realized immediately that something was wrong.

            "Oh, shit," she muttered to herself as strange surroundings began to fade in.

*  *  *  *  *

            Magnus d'Armand and Alea Larsdatter were eating dinner aboard Herkimer, when they got a warning from him that there was an intruder aboard, and heard the very strong mental broadcast from the intruder.

            _Shit, what did I do, Raist is gonna kill me, oh monkeycrap, where the hell am I?  A ship?  A spaceship?  Oh fudge.  __Oh__ hell, ha ha ha.  __This place looks cool, maybe I'll 'splore a bit 'fore goin' back to Raist, make 'im worry a little._

            The two of them hastened to where the person was.  He/She had blocked any attempts at probes, so neither Magnus nor Alea knew who (or what) this intruder was.  In the area that served as a living room was where they found her - for it was a her.  She was a little girl, that much was obvious, wearing what a man would have worn on Midgard.  Yet, she did not look afraid in this ship, more curious.  Before they could talk, she turned to face them.

            " 'Ello.  Don't s'pose ya could tell meh whe-uh Ah am?"

            Magnus and Alea blinked - they couldn't understand her until Herkimer translated.

            "She's using the language of old Earth," he informed them.

            The girl said something else and made a few gestures.  Then she was speaking their language.

            "Hello-o.  You can talk, right?"  Nire was, once more, trying to eliminate her accent, to make it easier for the people to understand her.  She had "borrowed" Raistlin's spellbook one day, and learned the spell so she could understand and speak a language.

            "You're on my ship, Herkimer," Magnus told her, puzzled.  "How did you get here?"  He and Alea were still on the defense, prepared in case she was a spy, or heralded the coming of more people.

            "Well, my teacher was having me practice using a gate spell," she said cheerfully, "and I kinda screwed it up.  My sincerest apologies for disturbing you."

            They both clearly heard her thought, _Holy shit these people are tall._  And on the tail of that, _Where__ have I heard the name Herkimer before?_

            Alea glanced at Magnus, then crouched down so she was at eyelevel with the girl.  "What's your name, sweetie?"

            They both saw the slightly raised eyebrow and heard, _What__ is with people?!  Must _everyone_ crouch down to be on my level?  That is so insulting!_

            _This kid is weird, Alea. _

            _Yes, she is. _  Alea slowly straightened up as the child said, "Nire."

            Nire waited patiently for them to tell her their names, as was polite.  She did not wait in vain.

            "I'm," beat, "Gar, and this is Alea."

            "Pleased to meet you, Gar and Alea."  _Aha!  I know!  Those books Raist got me!  _Raistlin had, for Christmas, gone into Earth's future for her - to the year 2002, to be precise - and bought her a few books in a series he thought she'd enjoy - The Rogue Wizard series by Christopher Stasheff.

Gar and Alea both wondered what she was thinking about.  This girl intrigued them.  She was obviously a powerful telepath, for she did not realize that she was broadcasting, and she was able to block their probes.  They had a quick telepathic conference.

            _Can you figure out how old she is, Gar? _

            _Ten, I think.  She's very young. _

            _Do you think she can read our minds?  My shields are up, but… _

            They heard from Nire, _Why are they looking at me like that?  Should I just leave?  Nah, this could be fun.  Maybe I've got some sort of telepathic talent and they can teach me…_

            _Could she figure out how to read minds by herself?__  If she could, then if no one's taught her the ethics…_

            _I honestly don't know, Alea.  Do you want to? _

            _If you'll help._

            Gar fought the urge to kneel down to be on eyelevel with the child, as she watched them both calmly.

            "Yes, you do have telepathic talent.  But how did you know Alea and I were telepaths?"

            "Oh, well, you see, in my world, we got books about you.  At least, I assume they are."  She managed to sound cheerful without smiling.  "Wait a sec."  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.  "Were you prying in my mind?"  She had stopped broadcasting, her mind closing up even tighter.

            "No, of course not," Gar was quick to assure the girl.  "You were just broadcasting your thoughts very loudly."

            "Well then, can you teach me to read minds and all that other stuff?"

            _She's bold.  Bold and fearless.  What do you think, Alea? _

            "Sure we will, Nire," Alea answered for Gar.  "Would you like to sit down?"  Alea motioned to a chair.

            "Sure."  Before Alea could warn her of how the chair would adjust to fit her, the girl had sat down.  Surprisingly, she did not ump, nor make any noise, just glanced at the chair approvingly and said, "I gotta get me some of these."

            Gar and Alea sat down in their own chairs.  Nire patiently waited for one of them to say something.

            Gar spoke first.  "How did you get onto our ship?  We're out in the middle of space."

            "I told you.  Magic."  The two telepaths heard, _Ha ha ha.  They don't believe me.  Stupid adults._

Alea fought against the urge to glance at Gar with raised eyebrows.  "What do you mean?"  
            "Just what I said.  Magic.  Hocus pocus.  Abra kadabra alakazam.  It was a spell.  That's why I can speak your language, too.  That was another spell.  Well, I can see that you don't believe me, but there's really nothing I can do that will prove it to you that you couldn't do with psi powers."

            _Wait, wait, wait, _ Alea said to Gar.  _If she was speaking a different language, then how could we understand her thoughts? _

            _No clue._

            "What?  Why are you looking at me like that?"

            "We were just wondering how we could understand your thoughts if we couldn't understand your language," Alea said gently.

            "Because you could.  Maybe the gods smile down upon you."  Nire snorted.  "Don't question little blessings."

            "Didn't you…think…someone was going to be worried about you?" Gar asked.

            "Monkeycrap, you're right."  Nire stood up.  "Would you seriously be willing to teach me how to use this talent I apparently have?"

            "Of course," Alea said.

            "Then, when can I come back?  Cuz after going back to tell Raist I'm fine, I'm going to have barely enough energy to get home."  _Blast it all, why did I just tell them that?!  _Nire's suspicious nature flared up, causing her to add, "I've been gating all day, and after fifty or so, you tend to start getting tired."  That was believable, if a completed lie.  It only took two gates before a mage would be tired.  Four would make the person almost comatose.

            "How about two hours earlier, tomorrow?"  Gar asked.

            "Okey-dokey.  See ya!"  Nire faded out from their view after making a few gestures and mumbling a few words.

            Once she was completely gone, Alea and Gar slowly looked at each other.

            "What did you two get yourselves into?" Herkimer asked dryly.

            "Since when do ships have a sense of humor?" Gar returned.

            "Remember what I was like the first time I came on Herkimer?" Alea asked Gar.  "Well, she looked like she came from a world like mine, yet she seemed right at home on the ship."

            "Yes, she did."  Gar sat back in his chair, thinking, his chin falling to his chest and his fingers steepled.  Alea patiently waited for him to speak, which he finally raised his head to do.  "Yet, she did not seem to be of that type of world.  It seemed like it was something knew to her, do you know what I mean?  Did you get any glimpses?  Her shields went down once or twice, and then all her thoughts were broadcast."

            "Yes, I did.  She's a very suspicious, untrusting child, no matter how she appears on the exterior.  I wonder why."

            "Who can say.  But she's powerful  Hopefully, we can get the ethics firmly stuck in her head."

            "D'you think her claims of magic are true?"

            Gar sighed again, thinking deeply once more before answering.  "Once more, I can't say.  It could be - we've seen faeries, so magic is possible.  But then, it could be her psi talents manifesting in a different way."

            "Your dinner is getting cold," Herkimer reminded them.

            "Come, let us eat," Gar said to Alea.  "We'll think about this girl later."

*  *  *  *  *

            "Where were you?!  What happened?!"

            The instance Nire returned to Raistlin's tower, she was beset upon by his ire - his _worried_ ire.

            "Worried 'bout me?" she said with an arched eyebrow.

            He just glared at her with those golden eyes.  He _had_ been worried about her, a rare thing for him to care for anyone other than himself.  "Well?"

            "Well, obviously, Ah screwed i' up, jus' lahke Ah thought Ah would.  But Ah did get t' meet some new people.  An' know what?  Ah've got telepathic talent.  An' they're gonna teach meh ta use i'."

            "You don't even know these people!  And why didn't you come right back, once you knew you'd screwed up the spell?"

            "Ah know them th' same way Ah knew you.  An' whah di'n Ah come back?  'Cause i' was interestin' there."

            "That gives you no right to leave people worrying about you back here."

            Nire finally saw that he really had been worried about her, oddly enough.  "Okay.  Ah'm sorry.  Ah guess Ah jus' wasn't thinkin'."

            Raistlin smiled at her.  "Shall we get on with our lesson, then, or are you too tired."

            "Actually, Ah am kinda ti'ed.  C'n ya make meh a gate back t' mah room?"  She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.  Her few friends in this realm were the only ones she would stoop so low as to doing that to.

            "Of course.  In the meantime, between now and your next visit here, I shall create a spell that will gate me to the person of my choice, not just the location."  He broke off in a coughing fit, struggling to breathe.  Nire patiently waited for him to finish and wipe the blood off his lips.

            "Want some tea?"

            "No.  Come, I'll cast you the gate now."

*  *  *  *  *

            The next day, Nire gated to the living room of the ship a couple minutes late.  Gar and Alea were already standing there, waiting for her.  She didn't bother with an apology, however, just cocked her head at them, waiting.  The three of them looked at each other for a long moment.  Truth be told, the girl daunted Gar, and he did not know why.  Alea found her interesting; she did not know the reason, either.  They had come to the agreement that morning to let the ethics work themselves in along the way.

            "Well," Gar finally said.  "Shall we get started?"

            Nire nodded once.

            "Have a seat."  They all sat in the same chairs as before.  "The first thing you must learn is to clear your mind."

            Nire fought back a groan.  "Meditation?"  Raistlin had tried to get her to do some meditation, claiming it would help her magic - not that she needed help.  She had just never gotten the hang of it.

            Alea nodded.  "It's not that hard.  Just relax your body and close your eyes.  Now, picture a blank gray wall, and let it fill your vision.  Then picture a black dot in the middle of that wall, and let it grow.  Let your thoughts grow calm and leave your mind blank."  

            Nire tried.  She really did.  But, apparently, meditation just wasn't her thing.  She tried for an hour, Alea thinking of almost everything she could to help.  Gar did, too.  Outwardly, Nire was calm, laughing at herself.  Inwardly, she was ready to kill something.

            "Look," she finally said.  "This just isn't working.  Call it quits for the day?"

            Gar and Alea both agreed.  "Can you come again tomorrow, same time?"

            "Of course.  See ya then."

            Once Nire was completely faded out, Gar and Alea turned to each other.

            "Talk over dinner," they both said at the same time, then went to the eating area.  Herkimer had their dinners all ready for them and waiting.

            "Well, what did you think?" Gar asked.

            "She's really bad at meditation."

            Gar laughed.  "Could you feel how frustrated she was getting towards the end?  So, not only can she project thought, but emotion, also."

            "Yes, and she was so calm on the outside.  She's a marvelously good actor, able to hide her emotions well."

            Gar nodded.  "Well, this could take a while."

            "A very long while."


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Disclaimer:  As I've said before, Gar and Alea aren't mine, they belong to Christopher Stasheff.  The Heroes of the Lance belong to WotC, the Dragonlance series.  Jander Sunstar belongs to WotC, specifically Christie Golden, in the Forgotten Realms series.  The rest of 'em are mine.

            Over the next months and through the summer, Nire worked with Gar and Alea, and with her friends on Krynn.  She convinced Gar to teach her to fight with a quarterstaff, and any martial arts stuff he knew.  Once she got past the meditation piece of telepathy, she caught on extremely quickly, as she seemed to of with everything.  She could do it all, and she brought back what she had learned to her friends on Krynn.  Her theory was that everyone had the power of telepathy in them, and she was not proven wrong.  Even Caramon caught on quickly, and they all became proficient in a short period of time.  Everybody understood (and agreed with) the morals, and no one 'peeked' at anybody.  It was merely a handy way to communicate.

            Nire found that she felt more comfortable with the two spacefarers and their ship than she did with the Heroes of the Lance - excluding Raistlin.  She still felt most comfortable with him, and actually trusted him a little.  But Gar and Alea were quiet, like her, and tended to hide their feelings.  Nire was finally getting what she wanted - adult friends who understood her a little.  She argued with the two of them over philosophical matters, becoming a better debater by learning from them.  Her ideas became more refined, and even changed a little.

            On Krynn, everyone was still teaching her to fight.  She had debates with them, too.  The two groups, together, were what she had been looking for all her life.  Now they were working on two weapons at once.  She had learned the other stuff scarily fast.  She knew that she scared them all a little, because of her skill and seemingly supernatural ability.  Caramon was teaching her to use two swords.  Tanis was teaching her to use two crossbows strapped onto her arms.  She had figured out how to load them both at once, and spent hours practicing.  Those were her favorite weapons, for now.  Raistlin coached her in magic as she learned more and more and started developing her own spells.  He also started exploring the realm of Faerûn more often.

            Nire discovered how to make a better gate.  Now, all that was required was a step, and you were there in the same instant.  The spell itself was so simple that even a novice could use it, and it didn't require any spell components.  However, it took just as much energy as the one Raistlin had created.

            The Red Mage created the gating spell he said he would, so now he could gate to Nire (or anyone hw wanted) anywhere.  Telepathic contact would be made across wo5rlds, so he would check first, then gate to her.

            The coming of Raistlin had changed her life.  She now had an escape when her family was being particularly heinous, but it wasn't enough.  She was still depressive and suicidal.  And still, no one knew about these little traits of hers.  But once again, her life would change for the better.

*  *  *  *  *

            "See ya, Raist."

            It was late at night, and Nire's whole household was asleep.  She was an insomniac - always awake long after the others.  This particular night, she had used a spell to soundproof her room, and Raistlin had come over.  He stayed for half an hour, then gated to Faerûn, leaving the gate open in her room.  The energy was used up in creating the gate, not maintaining it.  Raistlin was an insomniac like Nire, and sometimes went to Faerûn at night, when there were less people awake and walking the streets.

            When Raistlin left, Nire, as usual, picked up a book.  Her current read was It by Stephen King.  Her father did not approve, of course, but her mother didn't care, as long as she didn't have nightmares.  And now she would have some fine shit to scare her sister with.  She had no school tomorrow, so she could stay up all night and read.  The best thing about horror was it didn't scare her.  Not until she was asleep.  Then she had the most horrific nightmares a person could imagine.  Long ago, she had learned it did not matter if she went to her parents, for they didn't care.  It was totally pointless, just wasting her time and there's.  So whenever she had a nightmare, she usually managed to keep quiet, and then just stay awake for the rest of the night.  Admittedly, it was kind of annoying, but Nire was one of those perverse people who, even though they scared the shit out of her, liked nightmares.

            Tonight, however, she wasn't going to have to worry about nightmares for a long time.  As she turned the page, _people_ appeared in her room, from the gate Raistlin had left.  First came a terrified looking elf, then three burly men and a mage.  Nire leapt into action at once.  Luckily for her, she had a very nice stage voice, a very commanding stage voice.

            "Freeze!" she yelled as she rolled off her bed and came up beside it with two crossbows magically strapped and loaded on her arms.

            Amazingly enough, the five people listened, more out of shock once they realized she was just a little girl.  The elf was backed up against her desk, his eyes flickering around the room, filled with fear, looking for an escape.  The three men were about to shoot the elf, but the mage motioned for them to stop.  They guarded the elf as the mage spoke to Nire, who had her crossbows trained on them.

            "Put down the crossbows, little girl, before you hurt yourself," the mage said patiently.

            Nire looked at him in disgust.  She didn't even deign to speak to him, just motioned with her hand.  He found himself plastered against the wall, unable to move or speak.

            "Keep you out of the way 'till I figure out what's going on," she muttered to herself.  She had understood what he was saying, because Raistlin though it to be prudent to, not only cast a permanent spell on her that allowed her to understand the Common of Krynn, but the Common of Faerûn also.  "What's going on here?"

            The men looked at each other, not exactly sure what to do.  One of them started to raise his bow - strangely enough, there was no arrowhead, just a sharpened wooden tip - but didn't get too far.  Nire shot, the arrow flying with a whistle of air exactly between two of the men and pinning the rising arm to her closet door by the cloth of his shirt.  Almost before the men could blink the crossbow was reloaded, and trained back on them.  Her other one was still centered on the elf.  The mage struggled against the invisible bonds that wouldn't let him move, trying vainly to utter a spell.

            "Let's try answering questions, first.  I don't want any bloodshed in front of me if there's no good reason."

            The men looked at each other again, the one's sleeve tearing from the arrow.  Finally, one said, "We're trying to rid the world of this vampire, lass."

            "Uh-huh.  D'you have any proof?"  Nire was extremely skeptical.  Not all humans liked elves, and declaring them vampires was an easy way to get rid of them.  She quickly and quietly cast a spell to detect the truth of what would be said in the next half hour.

            "Well, 'e's never been seen out in th' sun, fer one thing," another said, which was true.

            That wasn't proof enough for Nire - if she had a choice, she would never be seen outside in the sun - so decided to just ask the elf himself.  "Are ya a vampire?"

            He said, almost sadly, "Yes, but-"

            Nire cut him off.  "Okay then."  The men, thinking all was settled with this freaky girl, lifted their weapons.  "Waaaaaait a sec, I'm not done.  So, oh brave and fearless men," she said sarcastically, guessing the answer to her next questions, "just what's 'e don't t' you?"

            They gaped at each other, one finally gathering the wits to say, as if that explained everything, "He's a vampire."

            "And you're abysmally stupid.  So what?"

            "But 'e's a vampire," another one said again.

            Nire growled.  "But he's done absolutely nothing to harm you, correct?"

            "Well…"

            "I rest my case.  Goodbye."

            "Now wait just a moment!" one of the men exploded, deciding to ignore the girl and swiftly lifting his weapon.  The vampire looked as if her would almost welcome death - almost.

            Nire didn't even bother waiting for him to finish what he was saying, as soon as she saw those chest muscles twitch to lift his arms, she fired both her crossbows.  They were finely made crossbows of very good quality.  Tanis had given them to her - she got the feeling at times that she was more of a little sister to them than anything else.  When an arrow was fired from either of these crossbows, the force was terrific.  When someone was hit by both of them…  The bolts flew straight and true, a beautiful sight to any professional archer.  One pinned his arm to the closet door by the sleeve, burying itself deep in the door.  The other hit his shoulder (once more, only catching cloth, as was planned) hard enough to pull him around, pinning his shoulder to the door.  Within seconds, the crossbows were reloaded, and another quarrel flew straight and true, pinning that arm to the man's side.  He struggled to release himself, but could not, the bolts being held in place by a little bit of magic.

            The other two men began to advance on her cautiously, the vampire momentarily forgotten.  Nire sent him a look that clearly said 'stay out of this'.  She waited calmly by the side of her bed.  The men were being cautious, but not very cautious - they still couldn't believe that a little girl could be that much of a threat.  Unfortunately for them, they had never met a little girl like Nire, who carried so much rage in her against the world, that taking down these guys would be a piece of cake.  She almost considered trying to take them down by hand, but quickly realized that was just being overconfident and foolhardy.  She took quick, careful aim, and shot at both of them at the exact same time, the bolts whistling between their legs, right below their crotch.

            "Next one's gonna be a tad bit higher, boys," she said cheerfully.

            They glanced at each other, and fled back through the gate.  Of course, she had planted fear in their minds to make them leave sooner, and it worked wonderfully.  She used her magic to let down the other man, and he fled, too.  She stood regarding the mage silently for a long moment.  She did not trust that he wouldn't immediately try to start a spell battle if she let him down, and she was truly too fatigued to want to risk that.  But silently looking into his terrified eyes, she realized he wouldn't do that.  So she let him go, too, and he high-tailed it out of there and through the gate without a sound.

            When they were all gone, Nire fought down a laugh at how pathetic it all was and closed the gate, just in case they decided to come back.  Then she turned to the vampire.  He still hadn't moved from where he was, and regarded her with the tiniest hint of fear in his eyes.

            "Please tell me I didn't just do that for nothing, and now you're going to go on some psychotic killing rampage, starting with me," Nire said, good-naturedly for once.

            "No, no, no," he quickly assured her.  "I would not dream of doing anything of the sort."

            "Do have a-" Nire broke off as she gazed around her messy room.  Everything - even her bed to a degree - was heaped with piles of junk.  She telekinetically lifted a pile off a chair and finished, "-seat.  It will be a couple moments before I can attempt reopening a gate."

            He hesitantly sat down, still trying to figure out why this girl had saved him.

            She sat cross-legged on the bed.  "I'm Nire.  What's your name?"

            "Jander.  Jander Sunstar," he said cautiously.

            "No shit," Nire said in the tone of voice someone would say 'cool' or 'neat' in.  "Are you really?"

            "Yes," he said, a look of confusion flickering across his elven face.  "Why would I lie?  Do you know of me?"

            Nire laughed.  "Hell, yeah.  Faerûn's only, quote, 'good' vampire."

            At his amazed look, she got up and went to her bookcase, running her fingers along the books before pulling out one entitled Realms of Valor, and tossed it onto his lap, making him jump.  It fell open, in the way a book tends to if it has been opened to one page many times, to a story by Christie Golden, 'One Last Drink'.  Nire noticed the flash of sadness that crossed his eyes as he scanned the story.

            When he closed it, Nire said, "Just toss it on the floor somewhere.  It won't make a difference in the mess already there."  For some reason, Nire felt compelled to try and make the vampire smile.  It was one of those strange things where she saw him and immediately felt like she wanted to be friends with him.  "So, if you're a vampire, why didn't you either kill them all or turn into a bat and flu away or something?"

            Jander had felt the same thing when he saw the girl, even through his fear.  Now that death had been staring him I the face, he realized he truly was unready to give up his undead life.  "The mage had cast a spell which rendered all my 'special' abilities useless."

            Nire cocked her head at him.  "And is it still in effect?"  She was cross-legged on her bed again.  Jander nodded slowly, to which Nire said, "D'you know if it will wear off?"

            "No, I do not."

            "Well, here's the thing.  I _might_ be able to lift it.  But, if I do, I don't know when I can make a gate back to Faerûn.  And I don't know when my friend will be back to make one.  So, d'you want me to try and unspell the spell?"

            Jander seriously thought about that for a minute of two.  The little girl couldn't be much of a threat - she was eleven at the most.  Yet, she had taken down those men with almost frightening ease.  How could he know that she wasn't going to just use this as a chance to do away with him?  And yet, she _had_ saved his undead life.  And, truth be told, he felt some sort of weird connection with the girl, as corny and stupid as that seemed.  He really had no choice but to trust her.

            Finally, he said, "Would you be willing to try and 'unspell the spell'?"  When he used her phrase, he couldn't help but smile a little.

            "Sure.  And stop looking like I'm about to jump and kill you, you're making me nervous, for crying out loud.  Don't say I didn't warn you, you'll probably be stuck here for a while."

            Jander tried to relax.  "That won't inconvenience you in any way, will it?" he asked, suddenly worried.

            "Hell, no.  I'm an insomniac.  Give me something interesting to do at night, 'stead of reading.  The worst thing that might happen is my parents might wake up."  She flashed him a bright smile, surprising herself.  She hardly ever smiled - it just wasn't her thing.  Her friends of Krynn had finally stopped trying to get her to smile, or look happy.  There were other ways they could tell how she was feeling, than by her perpetually downcast face.

            Jander couldn't help but return her smile, although it had quickly disappeared.  With his vampiric sense of smell, he could smell people's emotions.  All she smelled of was sadness, even though she looked relatively happy.  He was about to say something totally unrelated, but Nire quickly said, "Shut up and don't distract me.  I have to concentrate."  It wasn't said in a mean way, just matter-of-factly, almost as though she was used to speaking that way and didn't quite know how not to.

            She straightened up, sitting ramrod straight with her hands resting lightly on her crossed knees.  Her eyes closed, and she sought the calm inner part of herself, slipping into a meditative trance.  After a few minutes, her eyes snapped open and she fell over backwards, laughing.  Jander looked at her curiously, not wanting to speak for fear of…something.

            Finally, she sat up and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.  "That mage was brilliant."  She fought back another bubble of laughter.  "It's all an illusion.  He just made you think that you had been reduced to a 'normal' elf."

            Jander stared at her.  "You're kidding."  She shook her head, trying not to laugh again.  "All that and it was just an illusion…" he murmured, shaking his head and beginning to laugh, despite himself.

            Nire nodded gleefully.  "That's just classed.  And now that you've realized it, of course, the illusion is gone.  An absolutely brilliant mage.  I'm going to have to remember that one."

            An awkward silence ensued.  Nire was tired, and tried not to show it, doing a very good job.  Both of them came up with numerous things to say, and discarded them all.  Nire used the silence to study her unexpected visitor.  Wheat-gold hair fell to his shoulders, framing an angular face.  He had bronze skin and pointed ears - most definitely a gold elf - and the most strikingly beautiful silver eyes.  In a couple years, those kind of eyes would make her heart leap.  He was dressed in clothes similar to Caramon's, stuff from the same time period.  Finally, she came up with something that was sure to get a reaction, if not a laugh.

            "Look.  In order to avoid this sort of awkward silence, where neither person knows what to say 'cause they're both random people stuck in a room together and don't know each other, I'm going to start babbling sometime soon, which is never pretty."  This got the desired surprised laugh from Jander.

            He thought for a moment, then decided to ask the question that had been plaguing him and he couldn't figure out how to ask it politely.  "Why did you put yourself at risk to save me?  I mean, you don't even know me.  That was a great risk you put yourself at, for a stranger."

            Her eyes smiled at him, though her face did not.  "Many reasons.  I was bored and hoping for a better fight than that.  I felt cocky and arrogant, and decided it would be fu to see their faces when a ten-year-old kicked their asses.  And, plus, it felt like the right thing to do.  Ya gotta go with your instincts sometimes."

            Jander paused for a moment to absorb that.  "Well, thank you.  I am extremely grateful.  Is there any way I can ever repay you?"

            Nire laughed a little.  "The only thing I'm looking for right now is someone new, interesting, and smart to talk to, and there's no way you'd want to do that."

            "Why not?" Jander asked, honestly wanting to know.

            Nire rolled her eyes.  "I'm ten, almost eleven.  You're…really old…I think.  Do the math.  Adults and kids do not mix.  Adults expect kids to talk to other kids and thing like other kids, not like adults."  She sounded a bitter as she said this, trying to mask it.

            Jander cocked his head at her, unwittingly copying her exact move from a few minutes ago.  "I'd be perfectly willing to.  You seem like an interesting, perceptive ch- girl."  He saved himself before saying 'child', and noticed Nire smile a little, and knew that she had noticed this.  "Really."

            Nire quirked and eyebrow.  "Suuuure you would.  _Any_ways…" Nire changed the subject.  She did not want him coming out of guilt, which would undoubtedly, happen.  Jander had questions about just where he was, so Nire answered those.  Finally, she felt rested enough to make a gate.

            "All right, I know you're sick of being here, and I'm rested enough to form a gate.  Where do you want to go?  Just form the picture in your mind, and I'll take it from there."

            Jander did so, and Nire made the gate.

            "I truly would like to come back," Jander daringly said.  "This was a very enjoyable time, and I find you to be an interesting person."  He patiently waited with the unasked question in the air.

            Nire considered rejecting the offer.  How could she know if he wasn't just making it out of pity?  But she had enjoyed his company.  He didn't talk down to her like she was a child, but rather, conversed with her as an adult.  And this, she appreciated very much.  "Sure," she finally said.  "I'll…I'll contact you, okay?"

            "How?" he asked.

            "Telepathy," was her short answer, as she stifled a yawn.  

Jander saw how tired she really was in that unguarded moment, and said goodbye, thanking her once again.  As soon as he left, Nire went to bed, for the most restful sleep she had had in a long time.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander stepped into the brisk air of a wooded piece of land.  He had been here once before, and a miracle had happened here for him.  This was near the grove where he had been granted sanctuary, for a while, from his vampiric nature.  He thought this would be a good place to come and think.  There was a stand of rocks nearby where he could stay, for the sun would be rising a few hours.  He immediately began walking towards there, deciding to sit in there and do his pondering.

            Today had been a frightening day - no, night.  He had stayed far too long in a town, and they had gotten suspicious.  Then, that damn mage had to cast that spell - Jander still couldn't believe it was merely an illusion - which had Jander in such a panic that he hadn't noticed the magic of the gate.  So, suddenly, he was in this strange realm, which only compounded his terror.  It was funny how he thought he would have welcomed death, but truly, he wasn't near ready.  Even in his cursed state, he welcomed what little life he could get.

            He thought he was about to die - they had him cornered - but then that little ten-year-old girl named Nire had kicked their asses and sent them packing.  The only catch was he could not leave for a while, since she closed the gate.  But, truly, he didn't mind.  He had been a bit frightened of her at first - she wielded those weapons with almost supernatural ability and speed - but that quickly faded.  She was intelligent for her young age, and seemed to be a pretty much happy-go-lucky kid.  Brave as hell, too.  Although she knew he was a vampire, he could smell no trace of fear.  Once he had calmed himself down enough to notice things like scents, he could smell a continuous odor of sadness coming from the girl, totally at odds with her appearance.  He felt a weird draw to her - maybe misery loves company?

            When he looked at her, he saw a fat kid who probably loved to eat.  But by the way she handled those crossbows, he guessed that it was most likely all muscle.  Her brown hair fell in curls to her chin, held back by a coppery-colored headband.  Her room was an absolute pigsty.  The floor (if there even _was_ a floor under the mess) was covered with books and clothes and papers.  He couldn't understand the writing on the papers or the books, but when she handed him the story about him, he sensed a bit of magic, and suddenly, it was legible.  He still remembered clearly that day, except the book had spiced it up a little.  Frajen did not die in real life, just came within a hairsbreadth of it.  That had been both a sad and happy day for Jander - happy because he had finally gained his freedom.  Sad because he had to watch people he had known well die once more.

            The book - short story - could explain why Nire did not fear him, yet he doubted it.  There was a difference between reading and knowing something to be true, then meeting that something face to face.  Anyway, she looked like the kind of person who knew - to a degree - what his life was like.  By the amount of books in her room, he doubted she had any - at least, only a few - friends.  The bitterness in her voice at times saddened him.  It was not right that one so young should have any cause to sound bitter.  He had to give her credit - she was able to mask her emotions well, and seemed for all the world like a happy, normal little girl.  If he had not experienced what life was really like, he doubted he would have thought any different.

            Jander would have liked to go back again, talk to her some more, perhaps become her friend, but knew that would be impossible.  After all, who would want to socialize with a vampire?  Nire would have probably sent him packing long before, if she could have.  But, then it turned out that was what she was looking for - someone to talk to.  As soon as she said it, he saw on her face that she hadn't meant to say it.  Of course, he offered to come back - he really did want to - but she turned down the offer.  The sarcasm and bitterness in her voice was a surprising contrast from the face she had shown him.  The tone of her voice led him to believe she actually thought he was offering out of pity, or something equally as bad, and that was why she had turned him down, not because he was a vampire.

            They talked for a while - she was obviously not a social person.  He asked questions about her world, and she answered them.  Apparently, she had no real social skills, just enough to get by.  But Jander couldn't really tell, having known her for less than a day,

            Summoning all the courage he could - for he really did feel some kind of freaky connection with Nire - when she was about to send him home, he asked once more if he could come back.  He did not say it out loud, but left it sort of hanging in the air and unspoken.  Waiting silently for an answer, he watched Nire's impassive face.  No emotion at all flickered across it, and he could not tell in the slightest what she was thinking, or if she was even thinking anything.  He had treated her like an adult the whole time, for that was more what she seemed to be, and hoped that would count for something.  Finally, Nire agreed to 'contact him' by telepathy.  Quite frankly, Jander was amazed.  He had expected a curt refusal.    For some strange reason, he felt like he wanted to rejoice.

            But he was also scared.  Scared by the almost invisible hand of friendship that was being offered to him by this child.  The thought that any child would be able to sit in his company, know what he was, and not run screaming (hell, or even smell of fear in the slightest bit) terrified him.  That level of trust, put in a despicable creature like him, frightened him.  And this girl knew he had killed and drank the blood of humans.  Yet, she was perfectly calm around him, treating him like a normal person.  Either she was extremely over-confident in her fighting abilities, or extremely foolish.  Jander wasn't quite sure which it was.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

****

Disclaimer:  Y'all know by now which ones are mine and which aren't.  No new characters in this chapter.  R/R/E!

            The next day, she went to Krynn.  The problem with the two places - Krynn and Herkimer - was that they were both on relatively the same time as Earth, so she couldn't go late at night when she was awake.  The visits had to be kept to, pretty much, the daylight hours, when discovery by her parents was most possible.  She had a kick-ass session with Caramon and Flint, literally.  Gar had been teaching her to handle multiple attackers - physically and psychically.  Flint and Caramon could still beat her, but now they actually had to work at it.  They couldn't really toy with her anymore.

            Once that was over, she 'ported (instead of gated) to Raistlin's tower.  There was truly little else he could really teach her - now she had to learn on her own.  He had known her for roughly a year and a half, and she was already almost as powerful as him.  So, today, she was helping him hang herbs for drying.

            "Why did you close the gate last night?" he finally asked.

            She smiles, almost making him fall off the stool he was standing on.  Nire _never_ smiled.  "Ah had t', cuz some people stumbled through an' were causin' trouble."

            "What sort of trouble?" Raistlin asked, immediately concerned.  He had never thought someone might accidentally find the open gates - he always made them in the woods - and make it to Nire's room.  What would have happened it she had been asleep?  It was bad enough that he could kill his brother in cold blood, but at least that had been an illusion.  To accidentally bring harm to the first person he cared about in years, other than his brother…

            "Nothin' Ah couldn't handle.  Coupla' fighduhs an' a mage.  Bor-ring."  She mimed a yawn.

            About half an hour later - Nire still had about twenty minutes before she would have to go home - the girl was sitting at a table in Otik's tavern, enjoying an ice-cold lemonade.  Admittedly, it was winter, but who cared?  She drank hot chocolate in the middle of summer, too.  It was just some more of her perverse habits.  Caramon appeared with a mug of ale in hand and sat down next to her.

            "Hey, Caramon.  Know what?  You need a nickname.  Raistlin's got Raist, Tasselhoff is Tas, an' Flint 'n; Tanis 're already short 'nough.  So's Nire."

            Caramon had to smile at that relatively long speech for the little girl.  "And I'm sure you'll come up with one.  Listen, I just wanted to say thank you for, I don't know, being here and being you."  His voice lowered so no one but Nire could hear him.  "I worry about Raistlin, you know?  He spends all his time in that tower, with no one around.  But then you came along, and he seems to actually like you.  We've all noticed the change in him."

            "No need to thank me.  I like him, I like you guys, and you're all my friends."

            "But I know he's not the easiest person to get along with, especially not for-" He stopped abruptly.

            "A child?" Nire finished, with her usual perceptiveness.  "No, that's where you're wrong.  Children are a whole hell of a lot more accepting than adults.  The problem was finding one he could stand to be around.  I think…I think I might remind him of himself, which is why…"

            "You certainly act like him."  That slipped out before Caramon could stop it, an almost comical look of dismay coming over his face once he realized what he had said.

            Before he could begin to apologize, Nire, surprisingly, laughed.  "I know, I do.  And I think that's why we're friends.  I understand him, he understands me, and it works.  Even if I'm only ten."  Her accent tended to disappear when she was talking of serious things.

"You sure don't act like a normal ten-year-old."  Once again, the look of dismay appeared.

"Thanks, Caramon.  You have no idea how much I actually and truly appreciate that."  Luckily for him, Nire was not mad.  "I better get back home now," she said.  "Thanks for the fight earlier."  She walked outside, and jogged back to her gate, going through it and closing it from the Earth side.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire carried on with the pale death she called a life, not really thinking of Jander, until the day after her eleventh birthday.  She was bored, but didn't feel like going to see her friends on Krynn.  Nor did she want to go visit Gar and Alea.  They had landed on some planet, and were worried she would get hurt if she were with them much.  _Typical adults_, was Nire's disgusted thought when they tried to explain this to her.  She had learned to keep her shields up constantly, just incase she might meet another telepath.  Better safe than sorry.

            Right now, she was picking up her room.  That was a testament to just how bored she was, since, under normal circumstances, she would rather die than clean her room.  Since it was winter, it was early, but already dark.  Her father was at some sort of meeting, her mother was doing paperwork on the kitchen table - she had recently gotten a job in the SPED department of the middle school.  Nire knew than no one would be coming into her room for a while, so she quit cleaning and took out her new daggers - a gift from Caramon - and started to practice juggling them.  Caramon would have killed her if he knew she was doing that, but she had a t least remembered to pad the blades so they couldn't cut anything (namely, her).

            A random though caused her to put them down.  She wondered what Jander was doing.  It was a sheer, desperate boredom that prompted this thought - a disease that had learned to latch itself onto Nire better than most.  So she sat cross-legged on her bed, going into the meditative state she needed to find someone she didn't know so well.  She cast her mind through the mists that separated all worlds, sailing through to the world of Toril and the continent of Faerûn.  Her consciousness flew over the land, searching fort hat single mind, the proverbial needle in the haystack.

            She finally found it, the mind of the elven vampire, tinged with permanent sadness.  Surprisingly enough, he was thinking about _her_.

            _So she had just said it to get me out of there,_ was the thought Nire heard in his public mind.  _I should have known better than to hope that she actually meant it.  Gods be damned, why should I care so much?!  I knew the girl for less than an hour!_

With a jolt, Nire realized he _had_ been serious when he said he wanted to come back.  Intrigued, she listened to Jander's self-pitying thoughts, regardless of how rude it was.

            _After all, why should I have thought she was serious?  Who would want to spend time with a _vampire_ of all things?  I should be grateful enough that she could stand to be around me for that one short period of time, and make me feel semi-normal for a little while.  Ah, yes, the story of my life - people who pretend to be friendly until they find out what kind of monstrosity I really am._

Nire was surprised - for these thoughts paralleled her own on many an occasion, albeit a few slight modifications.  She couldn't really believe that someone wanted to be in her company.  With another start, Nire realized that the reason she could read his public thoughts so well what that he was projecting slightly.  Perhaps here was another Raistlin, another soul who would understand her better than most.

            _Jander? _

            She felt his mental start.  _Who…?_

_'S Nire. _

            _Oh, fuck, was she reading my thoughts just now? _was what she heard, albeit quieter.  _Is she reading them right now?_

_No to the first question, yes to the second, but only the surface thoughts.  Just how serious were you the other day about wanting to come back? _

            _Deadly.  Why? _

            _Cuz I'm bored out of my mind right now and could dearly use some company. _

            _Sure. _  Nire felt the surge of elation that Jander tried to muffle, and heard his brief wondering of why he felt so strongly.

            _Where are you? _ she asked, and got the visualization from him.  He was on a deserted road, going through a field of grass and flowers.  _Hull'on, I'm makin' a gate. _

            She soundproofed her room first, thanking God that she knew how to do that.  Otherwise, visits from anyone would be harder, in fact, nigh on impossible.  Then she made the gate, glad she was hyped up on soda, so it didn't use much energy.  Jander sensed the magic in front of him and stepped through, very suddenly in her room, facing her and her bed.

            "Hi."

            "Hi."

            They stood in awkward silence for a moment, the silence of two people who aren't used to having to start a conversation.  Finally, Jander's eyes lit on the twin daggers on Nire's bed.  He let out a low whistle of appreciation.

            "Those look to be some fine daggers."

            Nire smiled and nodded.  "Sure as hell are.  Got them yesterday for my birthday.  Best damn set I ever had th'onor of holding."

            "Yesterday was your birthday?"

            Nod.  "Eleven years old, now."

            "Happy birthday."

            "Thanks."

            Jander silently asked permission to tough her daggers with a raised brow, to which she nodded.  Picking them up, he whistled again.  The balance was almost beyond perfect.  He slipped off the padding to see the blades.  They weren't fancy - plain hilt, uncarved blade - but the blade looked to be of the finest steel.  He made a few testing jabs, and was highly impressed - the balance was perfect, and the weight seemed to be just right fort he girl.  He recovered them and handed them back.

            "From one of your parents?" he asked.

            "Hell no!"  Nire almost laughed as she started to almost absentmindedly juggle the blades.  "If they knew I had any of this, they would freak out.  No, these were from one of my friends from a world like yours."

            Jander knew that there were different worlds than his - hell, he was on one right now, and Nire was certainly not wearing clothing that came from his world - but he had never thought there might be similar worlds.  This idea intrigued him.

            He watched Nire juggle the daggers for a few minutes, then asked, "Was it really telepathy you used, or just some kind of spell?"

            "Telepathy, straight and simple.  No spells involved.  An' I think you got some talent fornit."  Jander just raised an eyebrow.  "No!  Seriously!  What am I thinking of right now?"

            He decided to humor her and play her game.  "An orange.  Dripping blood."  That had just popped into his mind.

            "Yepper deppers.  How 'bout now?"

            "You're projecting, aren't you?" Jander asked with sudden suspicion.

            Nire looked surprised, then pissed.  "Hell, no.  That would make this little exercise totally pointless."

            "Okay."  Surprisingly, he did not think she was lying.  He did not sense that she was lying.  "You juggling your daggers?"

            "Yippy skippy, ya got it right!  Last one"

            Jander's face creased in a puzzled frown.  "I…I don't know.  A…A swirling cloud of purple and black with…with lightning flashed?  That's all I can get."

            Nire's face lit up in a brilliant smile, making her almost pretty.  "Uh-huh!  Brilliant!  That was behind a light shield."

            "So, you're saying I'm a telepath?"

            "Well, see, everyone's telepathic.  But some people have learned to use it a little."

            Jander realized that he had the perfect golden opportunity floating in front of his face, ready to grab.  If only he could screw up the courage to ask.  If only!  But, what if she said no?  Jander did not think he could take that.  She was only human, true, but she seemed to actually _accept_ him.  As _normal_, and feel no qualms about being around him.  If only!

            Nire seemed to be reading his thoughts, an occurrence that would come to be almost commonplace, happening both ways, over the next few years.  "You wanna learn hot t' do it even bedduh?"

            "Sure."  Jander fought down an ear-to-ear grin.  "I would love to."

            Nire fought down her own happy smile.  "When…?"

            "Whenever would be best for you," was Jander's complacent reply.

            Nire paused to think, mumbling to herself.  "Sunday to Tuesday is Raist and the guys…Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday is Gar 'n' 'Lea.  That leaves…Friday!  Yes, I am a genius for being able to figure that out in such a short time," she added sarcastically.  "Friday nights okay?  And, really, any other nights.  Doesn't matter, really - no one's awake anywhere at night but me."  She cocked her head at him.

            "Of course.  Friday nights.  So, did you get anything else interesting for your birthday?"  Jander silently congratulated himself, and simultaneously started to quake in his boots.  This was possibly the start of a friendship, his first true friendship in centuries.

            For the rest of the day - night - Jander went through Nire's arsenal of weapons with her, marveling over the quality of them.  She did not seem to realize how highly her friends must think of her to give her these weapons.  They were some of the finest ones he had ever seen.  She also had a whole wardrobe of clothing that would be fit for his world, not her own.  It was an enjoyable time, for them both.

*  *  *  *  *

            Over the next few weeks - a month and a half, to be exact - Jander and Nire slowly became friends.  Jander no longer came to Nire's room just when invited.  He picked up on telepathy just as quick as Nire had, and she taught him to make a gate.

            "Okay, here's how you do it.  You put your right foot in."  She stuck her right foot out in front of her.  "You put your right foot."  She stuck it out behind her.  "You put your right foot in and you shake it all about."  She put her foot in front of her again, and shook it around in the air.  "Now you do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself about."  She demonstrated this for him.  "That's what it's all about."  When she said this, she did a clapping rhythm, and then burst out laughing.  "I guess the Hokey Pokey really _is_ what it's all about.  Now you try."  

He copied her motions exactly, even said all the words right, and nothing happened.  "Okay, why didn't anything happen?"

"When ya do it for real, ya gotta visualize where you want to go, or who you want to see.  But don't do that now, cuz, trust me, it's _really_ wearing."

            Now Jander checked her room first, to make sure no one but her was in there, and he came whenever he wanted.  If she didn't want to see him just then, she would tell him to go away, and he would.  Tact was a lost art with the girl, but he didn't mind.  He started spending at least two nights a week there, loving every moment of it, because with Nire, even though she _knew_ what he was, she didn't give a shit.  It was like, for those brief moments, he was back before.

            He didn't really know how he felt about this friendship.  Nire was the first person that he could truly count on in centuries.  It scared him, down to the marrow of his bones.  He was used to being solitary.  He hated it, but he was used to it, and this change scared him.  His first instinct, when the friendship started to blossom, was to run, and never come back.  She was only eleven, she would forget about it.  Something kept him from doing that, however, and kept him coming back.  His goal, whenever he saw Nire, was to get her to smile or laugh one time.  Sometimes, he was successful, sometimes not.  Deep in Nire's eyes, where few would see it, was a sadness that never seemed to go away.  Jander wondered what it was, but did not pry, knowing she would tell him in time if it was meant for him to know.

            Whenever he was there, he was _very_ careful about what he did and said.  He did not want to run the risk of alienating Nire.  Never once did he criticize, never once did he say anything that could be taken in offense.  He was meticulously careful about this.  And he had been lucky.  Not once, so far, had _he_, personally, been the object of attack by her caustic tongue.  One thing about her was that Nire had a caustic wit and a sarcastic tongue.  She did not waste tact or niceties on anyone, or anything, he was soon to learn.  She said what she thought, and if someone didn't like it, too bad.  Then they weren't worth having around.  This was probably one of the reasons she had so few friends.  Jander learned more about her by listening to her and reading between the lines of what she said, than asking questions.  So he knew that she held most of her peers in contempt, hated her father and sister, and wished dearly she lived with Raistlin.  He also knew what she would never admit, even to herself.  She was lonely, probably suicidal, and hated life and people in general with a passion.  She saw life and people as a scourge on the earth, best to be ignored.  He felt honored to be one of the few exceptions.  He also so how she strived to act happy and 'normal' around him, and he guessed around people in general.  She never complained about her life, she always seemed happy about it, but he learned more by listening to her and watching her facial expressions.

            Nire knew exactly how she felt about Jander and his friendship.  She had never been more glad of meeting someone and becoming their friend.  Jander actually treated her like an adult, even more than Raistlin did.  He talked to her, and listened to what she had to say, never criticized, never said anything bad about her.  She came to look forward to his visits.  She was closer to him, than to anyone else.  Yet, she was slowly growing closer to her other friends.  They all noticed the change in her, and were glad of it.  She was less sarcastic, talked more, and more pleasant to be around.  As long as they didn't treat her like a child.

            She was closest to Jander, but was nowhere near as close as they would become.  Their relationship would change, and become deeper, soon.  After this event, they would be inseparable, for Jander proved just how much he understood her.  It would be a small act to other people, but a large one to Nire.  She would introduce him to her other friends, and he would take her to visit places on Faerûn.  Jander would become the most important person in Nire's life.  And this would herald the beginnings of The Band.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Disclaimer:  Jander isn't mine.  I wish he was!  I'm getting no money off of this.  I wish I was!  R/R/E!

            Jander made a gate into Nire's room, planning to ask her if she wanted to come see the fireworks.  Some mage had come to the town he was currently staying at and brought fireworks.  Jander figured Nire would enjoy them, and seeing as how (to his knowledge) she had never been to Faerûn, it would be a good time.  He had to laugh as he made the gate.  Nire had shown him the 'dance' she took it from - the _kindergarten_ dance, an explained how one of the most common psuedo-philosophical questions on Earth was, "What if the Hokey Pokey really _is_ what it's all about?"

            The first thing he encountered was the sound of Nire's muffled sobs and her parents' yelling.  He froze, unsure of what to do.  Should he just leave, or try and comfort Nire?  He hadn't been in this sort of situation for a _long_ time, and even longer since it was a child.  In fact…possibly _never_ with a child.  He never touched Nire - her body language made it clear that she _hated _people touching her, and had a very large area of personal space; plus, he _was_ a vampire - but he dared to put his hand on her back and say softly, "Nire?"

            Her response was both bad and immediate - a tensing of her muscles, making herself as small as she could, and a growling from under the pillows covering her head to muffle the sound of her crying.

            "Get the fuck out of my room," she growled muffledly.  But then, as he jerked his hand away like he had been stung, she grabbed his wrist.  "Wait.  Jander?"

            She let go of his wrist and sat up, swiping a hand across her face.  Jander moved away a little bit.  He could tell by looking at her face that she had covered it with an illusion to make it look like she hadn't been crying.

            "So, what's up?" she asked in a tear-choked voice, trying to sound normal, but Jander wasn't fooled.

            "What's wrong, Nire?"

            "Nothing's wrong."  But he, once more, was not fooled.  She was sitting with her back to the headboard, her knees scrunched up to her chest.  Her arms were linked in front of them, holding them there, and her chin rested on her knees.  There was definitely _something_ wrong.

            "Bunch of shit.  What's wrong?  If you've got an illusion covering your face, there's something wrong.  Put down the illusion.

            "No.  I'm not someone who can cry and still look good."

            He dared to sit down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.  She stiffened for an instant, but then leaned into him.  He marveled at the feeling of this warm little body trustingly in his arms.  She had started crying again, he could tell.

            "What's the matter, little one?  Do your parents hit you?"  He expected her to flip when he called her that - she didn't seem like one for nicknames - but she did not seem to mind in the least.

            She laughed bitterly.  "Hell, no."  She dropped the illusion.  She had been right, she did not cry pretty.  Her face was red and splotchy; her eyes were red and puffy.  "God, I _hate_ it when they're fighting."

            A fresh burst of yelling ("Why's the house never clean anymore?" "You wanted me to go to work, William.  You said I sat around all day eating bonbons and doing nothing.  Well, that's what I was doing - cleaning - and you can't have both.") sent a fresh flood silent tears down her face.  Jander just held her tighter, lightly stroking her curly brown hair with one golden hand.

            "Why do I care?" she whimpered to him, her face in his shoulder.  "I don't even _like_ this family.  I hate my father, I hate my sister, I only like my mom some of the time.  Why should I care?"

            "Because you do, little one.  Because you do.  Maybe, really deep down, you do love them all?" This earned him a watery snort.  "Or maybe you hate conflict that you aren't part of."

            She was still crying in his arms.  She was crying so trustingly in his arms, that it scared him a little.  But still he sat there, holding Nire against his side.  He stroked her hair, rubbed her side, and murmured soothing phrases in her ear.

            "Sh, sh little one.  Sh."  In her distress, she let her shields down.  Since Jander was touching her skin, he couldn't avoid hearing her uppermost thoughts.  They were disturbing and sad, to say the least.

            _Nobody cares about me.  Especially _them_.  _They_ don't care how their stupid fights affect their kids.  Does nobody love me?  What cruddy luck stuck me with this family in this body?  The fat little bitch that nobody would notice if she were dead._

            His surprise caused him to forget his own shields.  So Nire got his shocked thoughts (and was reminded to slam her shields up).

            _What!  What is she thinking about!  Of course people care about her and would notice if she were dead.  Id, I would.  Do I count for nothing?  Hell, I probably don't._

            Nire whirled to him, shocked.  She honestly and completely thought she had the right of it.  That Jander was just there because she was interesting for the time being, and in a while, he would get bored and leave.  But the thing about telepathy was, although not impossible, it was very hard to lie, and Nire could feel his shocked sincerity.  Even though she was only eleven, she was sophisticated enough she that something like that really affected her, and she began to cry again.  Jander understood why she was crying and let her, merely holding her huddled up form against his side and letting some of the friendly feelings he'd developed for her flow through.  Then the lull of the yelling broke, and a new wave of it washed over them, setting Nire's quiet sobs off again.  She stayed in Jander's arms, feeling safe and protected, and eventually cried herself to sleep.  When Jander realized this (after he got over the shock that she trusted him that much) he gently laid her down and covered her up.  Then he turned off the light and went back through the gate, not once remembering the firework display.

            The next morning, when Nire woke, she felt better.  Jander had helped her, and just knowing that someone actually cared…  But that still did not stop her from taking one of her daggers and making a few well-placed slices on her skin, and watching the blood drip down onto the cloth she had.  Nothing could make her feel better enough to stop that.

*  *  *  *  *

            That was not the only thing.  That little event was a weird sort of bonding.  Privately, they already had considered the other their only true friend.  Because of that, they had been very careful not to show the other their depressed side, only their happy side.  Neither wanted to risk losing the one person they truly cared about, and thought might care about them a little.  But now…  It was as if that one little thing, something that would hardly matter to someone else, had shown the both of them that it was actually okay to trust the other.  That the other _wouldn't_ just abandon them, and truly cared.  That the other needed them just as much as they needed to other.  They began to actually talk to the other, not just the pleasant and politically correct shit.  They began to tell each other a little bit about what their lives were truly like.

            Nire became closer to her other friends, too.  She was slowly making them into her new family, a group she could actually depend upon.  But this was nowhere near as close as they were to become.

            Nire was the queen of hiding things from people.  Not even her fiend knew, or even guessed at, things she did not want them to know.  Namely, her cutting.  It had become her nightly ritual.  The rest of her family would go to bed, and that was her signal to wake up.

            She had graduated from the safety pins that were so easy to hide to her daggers.  She did not have to be as careful where she cut anymore.  Now, she had illusion to hide the scars.  So every night, she took the special cloth (a towel, really) she had, the one that absorbed the blood so good and was so easy to clean, and her dagger, then sat on her bed and made the careful cuts.  Daggers were much different from safety pins - she could actually cut too deep with a dagger.  She was not that suicidal, she was not ready to die yet, so she was careful.

            On this particular evening, it was midnight.  It was the nonhour, the nonminute, the time that is neither today nor tomorrow.  It was the time when the langoliers are busy eating up yesterday, making room for tomorrow.  Nire felt relatively secure in taking out her dagger.  Everyone she knew was asleep, with the exception of Jander.  And the likelihood of a visit from him was slim, because he had come the night before.  He tended to show up every other night, but never twice in a row.

            She sat on her bed, facing the wall.  A strip of cloth was next to her, ready to bind the wound.  Nire preferred that way to Band-Aids, or bandages.  Her towel was right there, waiting to soak up the blood.  She made the first delicious cut, savoring the pain like candy.  Red red blood welled out of the shallow slice and started to drool down her arm. She watched the towel soak up the red, the color spreading outwards from the central point.  She was so intent on the pain, the release that was better than holding it inside, that she did not notice the gate opening behind her and Jander stepping out of it.  She soundproofed her room continuously now, and he never bothered to check to see if it was all right to come, just to see if there were any other people in the room.

            He stopped short at the sight of her and the delectable smell of human blood, which set his mouth watering almost immediately.  He had known she was depressive - hell, he could _smell_ it every time he saw her - but never imagined she was as bad as this.  As was usual with Nire, he had no clue what to do.  He had lived for centuries; it followed all logical reasoning that he would have seen everything, and yet, he hadn't.  This was the little girl he would willingly give his life for, the one friend who knew his horrid secret, the one person he could actually talk to and not feel guilty, and she was…oh, shit.  He watched with his mouth seemingly frozen shut as she lifted the dagger for another slice.

            Just as the blade touched her skin, he became unfrozen.  "Nire!  What-"

            "Shit!"  She jumped at the sound of his voice, and the blade bit deep into her fat arm, much deeper than she had meant it to.  Instead of dripping and drooling, the blood flowed down her arm in a stream, only a little bit away from gushing.  She immediately clenched the bloody dagger in her teeth and grabbed the towel, wiping it up her arm to clean the blood, then holding it over the wound.  Apply pressure to stop the bleeding, was one thing she knew.  Then she turned a baleful glare to Jander.

            _What the hell are you doing here? _

            "What are you doing?"  He was still sort of in a state of shock.  Now he could feel her mental anguish that he knew, so strong that he knew she was trying to suppress it and couldn't.

            _What's it look like I'm doing?  Well, now you know my dirty little secret.  So you can leave now, and forget you ever knew me. _

            He did not know where she had gotten that idea.  Contrary to what Nire believed (and she truly believed Jander would leave now - who would want to be around a little kid with that many problems?) Jander would do, he came to stand in front of her and kneeled down so he was slightly below her eyelevel.  Nire refused to acknowledge to herself just how concerned his eyes were as he took the knife from where she was holding it in her mouth.  Oh!  The smell of blood was almost maddening to Jander!  The only reason he could stand it was that this was Nire, the one and only person who had shown him true kindness.

            "Let me look at it," he said gently, still holding the dagger for lack of anywhere else to put it.

            "Screw you," she said scornfully with a glare to match.  "I know how to take care of it.  Now run along like a good little vampire and kill a cow."

            After she had said it, she couldn't believe it.  Neither could he.  But Nire was not the kind of person who apologized for anything.  Jander mentally rocked back on his heels when she said that, but then saw the instant regret that flashed through her eyes and felt the horror in her mind.  He knew the real reason she had said it - not to hurt him personally, but to lash out at someone.  He just happened to be the closest target.  He supposed he should be honored - that showed that she trusted him enough to feel safe in lashing out for no reason.

            He watched with sad eyes as she peeled back the bloody towel.  She grimaced - it hurt lie hell.  This was not the kind of pain she was looking for.  It was still bleeding, oozing really.  She grabbed the strip of cloth and wrapped it around, trying it tightly.  Jander wiped the dagger off on the towel, then folded up the towel so one side was completely clean.  He put it, that side down, on her bed (out of arms reach from Nire) and put the dagger on top.

            "Why?"  He asked the question softly, looking directly into her eyes.

            "Go 'way, Jander."  She didn't sound mad, sarcastic, or scornful anymore.  Now she just sounded tired.

            "No."

            "Why not?"  Now she was frustrated.  "Damn it Jander.  Leave me alone."

            "No."  He looked at her with those sad, sad, silver eyes.  They just begged her to spill her heart, telling her he would understand.  But she wouldn't give in.

            "Why. Not."

            "Because I care."

            She just shook her head and looked away, her face falling into the stoic mask she hadn't shown Jander for months.  It was the face she showed people she didn't really trust, a face that revealed nothing to the world.  Jander sighed inwardly.  He wondered just what had happened to her in her life to make her thing so little of people at such a young age.

            "Look, you've got your ways of coping, I've got mine," she said with her head still turned away from him.  This was said in the flat voice that went with the face.

            "But my ways aren't self-destructive."

            He sat down next to her, catching sight of a single tear making its way slowly down her cheek.  Acting on impulse - that seemed to work best with Nire, when he didn't stop to consider what he was doing - he gathered her in his arms like a little child and pulled her into his lap.  He held her and rocked her in the comforting way she had never been held, not that she could remember.  Dry-eyed, she let hi hold her, resting her head on his chest.  This was only the second time he had ever touched her; he knew how she hated to have people in her personal space.  In fact, this was really only the second time he had come within arms reach of her.  The last time, she had been too upset to notice anything about him - her parents' fight had topped off a week from hell.  Now, however…

            The first thing she noticed was how his chest didn't rise with breath.  Why this was the first thing, she didn't know.  But it did bring up the interesting question of whether or not her breathed to talk.  She felt safe and comfortable in his arms like this.  That was another interesting thought.  Why did she trust him so much?  Supposedly, he was the epitome of evil, and yet, she felt safer with him than she did with anyone else.  She did not feel warm, thought.  That was the last thing she noticed.  He was cold as ice.  His hands were even colder than her hands usually were.

            Not thinking, she said, "Jesus Christ, you're cold.  You're even colder than I usually am."

            He froze, and would have let her go, if she hadn't whimpered a little and sniggled closer.  He got the thought, _Damn it, nobody's ever held my like this before, if I just fucked that up…_  So he resumed his soothing rocking, trying to remember all the ways of comforting people he had never learned.

            "Little one…"

            "Look, what do you want from me?  I'm a sick kid.  I know it, but I can't stop.  It's just how I deal with my problems, how I cope with things.  At least I'm not trying to kill myself.  And I swear, if you go to my parents, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands."

            "Okay, little one, okay.  But…why don't, whenever you feel like doing that, talk to someone.  Tell them how you feel, what's wrong."

            "Yeah?  And who would listen to an eleven-year-old?  I'm too young to have any real problems."  Her voice was mocking now, and he could feel his shirt getting wet with tears.  "I don't have any real troubles - kids have it easy.  There's no reason for them to feel stressed, or depressed.  They're just looking for attention."

            "I'd listen, little one.  You know I would."

            "Would you really?" came her soft, pitiful reply.  "Would you really?"

            "Of course I would."  He continued rocking her.  This was the first time someone had held her in years - she had grown too heavy for anyone 'normal' years ago.  She was loath to have him let her go.  She was tired, and the motion was so soothing…

            "Are you sure you shouldn't have someone look at your arm, little one?"

            Jander's voice jerked her out of her light doe.  "Nah.  I'll put a healing spell on it in the morning.  Don't worry about me.  I always come out on top."  She smiled sleepily up at his golden face.  "I better go to sleep.  But thanks.  For everything."

            Jander let her slide off his lap and watched as she put the bloody towel and dagger under her bad, masking them with an illusion of nothing.  Then, as he stood up, she climbed under the covers of her bed.  He didn't know why, but he tucked her in and quickly kissed her forehead, cold lips on warm skin.  Over the years, he would always somehow know exactly what she really wanted, like a parent-figure to do that right then.

            "Sleep tight, little one," he whispered.

            " 'Night Jander,' she murmured, already half asleep.

            He turned out her light and quietly left, wondering where he had come up with the daring to do that, to treat he like his kid, and worrying over whether or not she would be all right.

*  *  *  *  *

            It became the norm to have Jander appear in her room late at night.  There, they would talk about their days, and listen to the others problems.  Jander also began keeping contact, subconsciously, with Nire all the time.  It was a feeling of safety in the back of her head that never went away.  He always wondered how he knew when she needed to talk, and this was it.  She told him both the bad and the good about her life, and he did the same for her.  They both listened, and seemed to understand the other.  This would be a lasting connection, going on into eternity and back.

            Nire became noticeably more friendly to her other friends.  At least, the ones not of her world.  At home, she was still as surly and antisocial.  From fifth grade until about ninth grade would be the time period when she really did not have any friends on Earth.  She would rely heavily on the support of her other world friends, just to make it through the day.  She relied on Jander, most of all.  She brought him, at night, to meet her friends on Krynn.  They did not know he was a vampire, they just thought he was just an elf.  When she went at night, he almost always went with her.  But still, she had not been to Faerûn.  It was the summer before sixth grade before she got to do that.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

(A/N: I'd like to thank God for reviewing this story and liking it.  Cuz NOBODY SEEMS TO READ IT AT ALL.  Being the Supreme Being, it's nice to see that my children read my work.  As a private note to God, you suck at taking care of this world I gave you…*grin*)

            "I'm bored."

            "What?"

            "I'm bored."

            "What do you mean, you're bored?"

            "I mean I'm bored."

            "So…"

            "So I'm bored.  Bored bored bored."

            "Boredom is a state of mind."

            "Shut up _mom_."

            "So clean you're room."  

"Who are you?  My father?  I don't wanna clean my room.  I can find everything just fine.  Jesus!"

            "Really?  I don't believe you."

            "Then tell me to find something."

            "All right, go find that book you showed me the first time I was here."

            Nire dropped to the floor and reached under her bed, and pulle dout a dusty copy of the book, and dropped it on Jander's lap.

            "Happy?  I'm still bored."

            "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

            "I don't know.  Come up with something interesting to do?  Or talk about?  Or _something_?"

            "Well, why can't you come up with something?"

            "Cuz I have no imagination.  Come _on_, Jander," she whined.

            "So I've been here five minutes and you're already bored?"

            "No, I've been bored all day.  But now, you might be able to do something about it.  C'mon.  _Please_ think of _something_.  Or next time you come, I won't be here because I'll be six feet under, dead of boredom."

            "Okay, okay, let me think.  It's summer, so places will be open for a while after dark.  We can walk around Waterdeep for a while, okay?  Will that provide enough entertainment for you?"

            Nire cocked her head, thinking.  "Okey dokey.  Let me change."

            She opened her closet slowly and carefully, moving the clothes aside without a noise and seemingly taking out a pile of air.  Then the illusion dropped, and she was holding a tunic, pants, and soft boots.  Jander watched, impressed, as she skipped to the door, somehow managing to avoid stepping on anything.  The route was haphazard, all the way into her bathroom, because she knew where all the creaky floorboards were, and took great pains to avoid them.  A few minutes later, she was back, looking for all the world as if she really did come from Faerûn.  

            "Ready, kiddo?"

            "Yeah.  C'mon.  I'm _bored_."

            Jander laughed as they went through the gate.  It was summer now, and it was a hot summer.  Nire, who hated summer, was already sick of all the 'fun' summer activities.  That morning, she had been told by her mother not to come out of her room until it was clean.  So, she had been in there since about 10am, it now being around 10pm.  She could read only so much before she was bored out of her mind, but by then, it had become a contest of wills.  And Nire was winning.  They came out of the gate in some woods outside Waterdeep.

            "It's safer to stay in a city, because there are more odd people there, so I blend in just fine."

            "So how long are you planning on staying?"

            "Oh, a while.  I just got here.  So why were you oh so bored today, little one?"

            Nire related to him the story of the room cleaning as they passed through the gates and into Waterdeep.

            "So why didn't you just clean your room?"

            "Because then my mother would have won," Nire said slowly as if speaking to a child.

            "Oh, of course.  How silly of me not to think of that part."  Jander grinned at her, eliciting a faint grin in return.  True enough, Nire did not smile much, but she certainly did more after Jander had come into her life.

            They wandered through the lit streets of downtown Waterdeep, going into almost every shop that was still open.  Luckily for Jander, she was not interested overmuch in clothing, so he did not have to wait long as she looked through those shops.  Of course, he wouldn't have minded because it was Nire.  If she wanted to spend the entire night in a shop that sold only dresses, he would have happily waited for her.

            No, Nire was more interested in weapons.  She spent a _long_ time looking at the swords in the windows of the blacksmith shop.  After she was done there, they continued walking down the street.  It was getting very late, now, and few shops were still open.  There was one far down the street with a light shining out.  They were in the middle class section of town, but the light was so far down, that it was well into the wealthy section.

            "If it's closed by the time we get there, it's not my fault," warned Jander when Nire turned puppy=dog eyes to him.

            "Sure it will be," she said happily as they started to walk.  "What do you think it is?"

            "Well, seeing as how it's so far away, it'll either be a bar, a 'pleasure' house, or a dress shop."

            "A 'pleasure' house?  Why can't you just call it a whorehouse, like a normal person?"

            "Because, in that end of town, that's what it's called.  May the gods help you if you call it anything else to someone's face."

            "Damned politics."

            As they got closer, Jander was proven wrong on all three guesses.  It was a music shop, selling instruments and sheet music and the like.

            "Do you play any instruments?" Jander asked.

            "Sure.  Piano, flute, and a little bit of violin and guitah.  And handbells.  And, of course, recorduh.  And a little bit of my sistuh's clarinet.  And voice, if ya count that as an instrument."

            "Anything else?"

            "Not that I can think of at the moment.  If ya don't believe me, then why not look?"

            Nire dropped her shields for him, to prove her point.  After a quick peek, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "You really can play all that.  The capacity of humans to learn that fast will never cease to amaze me."

            "Ah, but only a few, lucky humans.  C'mon.  Let's go in."

            Inside the shop, it was dimly lit to protect the valuable instruments.  There were only two others in the shop, the shopkeeper and a blonde-haired client.  Even from viewing him from the back, he appeared to be a dandy, a rich one, at that.  Nire only paid enough attention to them to ascertain that they were arguing over the price of a harp.  She immediately made a beeline for a section of flutes - that was her instrument of choice.  Jander followed, being a flutist himself.  Nire examined them with her hands behind her back, looking but not touching, with Jander standing behind her.  They were all fine instruments, as only befit the location of the shop.  She scrutinized each one carefully, not noticing the way the shopkeeper and the arguing man had wandered closer to where she was standing. If she had, she surely would have been pissed off royally.  It was extremely lucky for the owner that she was so intent on the musical instruments.

            They were al beautiful instruments, finely made.  Nire looked closely at each one, admiring their beauty, but keeping her hands away.  Her 'sticky fingers' would not bode well for the shop, if Jander were not right there, watching her.  Still, there was nothing that really made her eyes stop until they lit upon the last flute.  As soon as she saw it, her hand went instinctively out to touch it, but she jerked it back before anyone could warn her not to.

            And truly, Jander had to agree with her initial reaction.  It was a finely polished wooden flute, gleaming in the soft lighting.  Fine engraving twirled its way up the body, barely visible.  Jander could tell just by looking at it that it cost a fortune - he did not need to play it to find that out.  But by the way Nire's fingers were twitching, that's exactly what she wanted to do.  So, being a good friend, he asked for her.  Just by the look on the man's face, he could tell he was trying to find a good reason to say no.  He did not want the child to be 'playing with' such an expensive instrument.

            "Oh, do let her try it, Fandraco.  If she breaks it, I'll pay for it."  That last part, the blonde man said with a charming smile to Nire, so her quick glare withered and died.

            Carefully, almost reverently, she lifted it from the black stand after glancing at Fandraco to make sure it really was okay.  She lifted it to her mouth, her lips pursing and yet drawing back in the tight smile that was the correct embraceor of a flute player.  The sound that came from it was like liquid silver, a haunting melody.  A look of pure rapture and joy suffused her usually morose face as she played, becoming lost in the music.  It was truly a beautiful sound, lilting through the air.  The melody flowed, rising and falling like a river of music, entrancing those who listened.  It was not just the tune, although that in itself was hauntingly beautiful, but the way Nire handled the instrument.  She even managed to coax the middle C out of the instrument, which was lower than most people could get.

            When she was done, the last wavering note fading away into silence, she out the flute sadly back on it's stand.

            "Thank you," was her quiet comment.  But Jander heard her thoughts screaming, projecting to those attuned to her, although she did not realize it, _I want it, I want it, I want it _so_ bad._

"I don't have enough for it, little one."

            "Yeah, I know.  'S why I didn't ask."

            "That was a beautiful tune," the blond man said excitedly, scribbling things down on a scrap of paper.  "What's it called?"

            " 'Henry's Dream'," was Nire's short answer.  "More commonly known as 'Greensleaves'."

            "Did you write it?"

            Nire barked out a short burst of laughter.  "I can't write anything anywhere near that good.  No, it's a carol from my world."

            "Your world?"  The man jumped on that phrase.  "What do you mean?"

            Jander could actually see the euphoric mood that playing the flute had put on Nire begin to fade.  He watched as she closed off the world and became more guarded.

            "Why d'ya wanna know?" she asked suspiciously.

            _Easy there, little one, _ Jander told her.  _'Twas an innocent question._

            _Maybe, and maybe not.__  Man, you would _never _survive in my world. _

            The man smiled self-deprecatingly.  "Well, my uncle has been trying to make a gate spell.  My apologies.  We tend to jump on phrases like that, lately."

            "Who's yer uncle?" Nire asked, a bit more civil.

            The man was obviously trying to win Nire over, not used to having children suspicious of him like that.  "My uncle is Khelben Arunsun.  I'm Danilo Thann."

            "Nire," was her short answer to the obvious question.  "An' that's Jander."  They both shook his proffered hand, then Nire said, "Khelben Arunsun, the greatest mage of Waterdeep, can't figure out how to make a stupid little gate?  That's just sad."  She started to laugh.  But, when she noticed Jander's disapproving gaze, she let it taper off, seemingly naturally.

            "So you know how to make a gate?" Danilo asked, disbelievingly.

            "Yeah," Nire said, like that should be obvious.  "Ya gotta problem believin' that?"  Anyone from Earth would have immediately recognized her tone as that of a stereotypical, black street punk about to 'take it outside'.

            Unfortunately, Danilo did not know that.  For one who was a people person, he did not seem to notice her tone as anything different than normal, either.  "Well… You have to admit…"

            "Ugh.  He's just making it harder than it has to be." Nire said this as though anyone should have known it.  Jander was busy trying to figure out how to intervene diplomatically without causing any bloodshed, which was what Nire was heading to.  Danilo was oblivious to the fact that Nire was pissed, royally.

            "Really."  This was said by Danilo in the condescending tone of an adult talking to a know-it-all child.

            "Asshole," Nire muttered, eliciting a shocked face from Danilo and Jander.  "Ready to go, Jander?"

            "Just waiting for you," he said, thanking his lucky stars that she had ended it herself.

            Just as they had gotten out the door (to the relief of the poor shopkeeper), Danilo came running up behind them.  "Waitwaitwait!"

            Jander oculd clearly see Nire considering keeping on walking.  But her curiosity (and hope that she might get to meet Khelben Blackstaff) made her stop and sanp, "What?"

            Gent_ly.__  Maybe he's going to apologize. _

            "My apologies for offending you."  Daniloy bowed low, sweeping out his fancy cape behind him.  When he straightened up, he said, "Do you really know a spell to make a gate?"

            "Many of them.  Why?"

            "How old are you?"

            "Old enough.  Why?"

            "Would you be willing to teach this spell to me?"

            "Nope."

            Shocked silence.  "Why not?"

            "Cuz I don't like you one bit."

            At this point, Jander slipped away and back into the shop right before Fandraco locked up.

            "How much for the flute?" he asked.  The look in Nire's eyes…she actually looked truly _happy_ for once.  It would probably take him a while to sell enough carvings, but it would be worth it.

            His eyes popped wide open at the named price, but he didn't try to haggle it down.  "Hold it for me, please."

            Fandraco agreed, wanting to close up[, and Jander made it back out before Nire noticed he was gone.  From what he heard as he came back,m he assumed the noble had been trying various persuasive methods on Nire.

            "Well, what if I take you to meet Uncle Khelben?  Will you teach him?"

            "Maybe.  I don't know.  Is he as much of an ass as you?"

            "Nire!"

            "Bug off, Jander.  I'll say whatever the hell I please."

            "Some say he's more of an ass," Danilo said with an easy smile, "some say he's less.  It would be up to you to decide."

            Nire considered this for a moment, then glanced at Jander and answered.  "T'morrow at ten?  Both of us?"

            "Absolutely wonderful.  Do you know where his tower is?"

            "No," was Nire's scathingly sarcastic reply, "I don't.  Wait!  Could it be that tall, tower-like building?"  Of course, she was pointing to the Blackstaff tower.

            "I'll meet you outside the gate, all right?"

            "Sure, whatever.  See ya then."  Showing off, Nire created a gate with a thought (she had discovered that, although extremely dangerous, that was all it really needed) and stepped through.  Jander, after giving Danilo an apologetic smile, followed her and closed the gate.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Do you have to be so rude to everyone?"

            "Shove off."

            "Well, did you know him?  Like you know me?"

            "Nope.  Knew his uncle like that, though.  I'd like to meet 'im."

            "So if you didn't know him…?"

            "He rubbed me the wrong way, okay?  Too god damned cheerful.  I don't like perky or peppy people.  Or preppy, for that matter."  She laughed at what was (to her at this hour of the night) a joke.

            Jander sighed.  His newest mission would be to get this rudeness, the scathing tongue, out of Nire.  His original one, to get her to smile at least once every time he saw her, had become too easy (except for the fact that they were usually sarcastic or sardonic smiles…).

            "I'll be here when the sun goes down, little one.  Okay?"

            "Thanks, Jander.  I know I kinds pulled you into that without asking…"

            For a moment, Jander was shocked into silence.  That was the closest Nire had ever come to an apology.  As his shocked silence prolonged, Nire began to worry that he was really pissed at her.  She did not care if anyone else was mad at her - they would all eventually come around, and if they didn't, then they weren't worth it - but she genuinely enjoyed the time she spent with Jander.  She truly did not want him mad at her; he was the only true constant in her life, one she could count on.

            "Really.  I'm sorry.  I mean, you didn't have something planned, did you?"

            Jander realized what she was thinking (what he would have been thinking, if he had been in her place) and quickly shook himself out of his stunned stupor.  "No, no.  I don't mind.  Did this relieve your boredom enough, little one?"

            "For today, I guess."  She climbed under her covers, having changed as soon as she got back, and smiled at him.  "Thanks for taking me."

            "I was glad too, little one." He sat on the end of her bed, the chair that he usually sat in being covered with papers again.  "I hope you had fun."

            "Sure as hell did.  Much more fun than being stuck in here for the entire night."  Nire did not want him to leave - she was still sick to death of being stuck in her room, alone - but wasn't sure on what pretenses she could get him to stay until she fell asleep.

            "Sleep tight, little one."

            She grimaced.  "You better get back here tomorrow as soon as you can.  I have a feeling I'm going to be stuck in here again."

            "Why do you say that, little one?  Will you parents be making you stay in your room 'till it's clean?"

            "Yeah.  My father's on vacation, which means he's in 'one of those moods' where the house hgas to be perfectly clean, thus my mother is, too.  So, I'll probably be in here until he goes back to work.  Or, until one of us breaks."

            "You should just clean your room, little one."

            "Yeah, I s'pose I should, but I won't.  Then they will have one, if I do.  Plus, it pisses off me da that I don't do it."

            Jander took that statement for what it was - an unusually subtle warning - and didn't offer to help her clean it.  Instead, he asked her if she wanted him to keep her company until she fell asleep.  Ow, in his self-pitying way, he expected her to refuse.  To him, that refusal would make perfect sense.  After all, he was a vampire.  Nobody in their right mind would be stupid enough to fall asleep when he was around, not if they knew what he was.  That would be showing too much trust, allowing him to do whatever he wanted, leaving the person defenseless.  And who would trust a vampire that much?  Nire, that's who.

            "Would you really?"

            A surprised blink.  "Of course."

            "Do you know any good stories you could tell me?  That I haven't heard?"  She gave him a sad look, not meaning to.  She had learned to read when she was three, and since then, nobody really read to her or told her stories.  Except for the long chapter book series that her father had used to read to her and her sister.  But even that had stopped a while ago, when she was five.  Even though she was technically too old now to listen to a bedtime story, she still enjoyed them.

            "Let me think for a minute, little one."

            He turned off the light for her and told her stories until she fell asleep - and either she was really asleep, or she was a very good shamming things like that.  Once he was certain she was asleep, and not going to wake up again, he quietly left.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

****

Disclaimer:  I forgot to put this in last time, so this is for both chapters.  Jander, Danilo, Khelben Arunsun, Laeral, Arilyn, Elaith Craulnober, Kymil Nimesin aren't mine.  They belong to WotC, specifically, Forgotten Realms.

            "Will you at least be semi-polite this time?"

            "It it'll make you happy, I'll try.  'Kay?  Know what else?  I did know the guy.  I went through my book of short stories, and there was one in there.  He's not that bad, except for that fact that he's too damned happy."

            "So you're going to be polite?"

            "Nope."

            "Well, why not?"

            "Cuz I'm not nice or polite because I know someone from a book.  Only if I happen to like that particular person.  You, I happened to like on sight.  Him, I happened to dislike."

            "Just please try to be civil.  Okay? Civil?"

            "I'll _try_, I said.  What more do you want from me? Jeez.  Anything else, _dad_?"

            "Don't forget to say please and thank you," Jander said with a grin on his face.  Nire's response was to return his grin and sock him on the shoulder.  "Ready to go, little one?"

            "Yepper deppers."  Nire had picked exactly where Danilo wanted to meet them from the man's mind, unbeknownst to him.  She gated the two of them there, arriving out of thin air, to Danilo's delight.

            "Welcome.  Do come in and meet my wonderful uncle.  You also have the pleasure of meeting my aunt and my lovely wife."

            "Hopefully, two different people," Nire muttered dryly.  Jander tried not to laugh at her rare show of humor, seeing as how it was impolite.  But Danilo did not care, and laughed, delighted with this show of humor, hoping it meant she was warming up to him.

            He escorted them to a sitting room, with three other people in it.  They were introduced to Khelben Arunsun, Laerel Silverhand, and Arilyn Moonblade.  Jander thanked whatever gods were listening that Nire was civil and polite.  Khelben and Laerel were immediately taken with the girl as the delightful child she wasn't.  Arilyn took to her as another fighter.  There was just this look about her that said 'You may not be able to see my weapons, but don't mess with me'.  Jander and Danilo were really the odd ones out.  With Jander, it was merely because he did not wish to intrude on the conversations that Nire was doing just fine with.  He did not know what people's problems were in her world - everybody seemed to like her just fine, here.

            With Danilo, he understood that he had somehow fucked up his first meeting with her.  To try and 'make friends' now would just be asking for trouble.  He didn't know why he hadn't seen immediately that it was a mistake to treat the girl as a child.  Replaying the entire conversation in his head, he had realized that was all it was, and warned the other three against it.

            Danilo and Jander ended up talking about music.  Jander was glad of this, bevause it took his mind off how nervous he was to be in the dwelling of such a powerful mage.  You never know if such people will have ways of detecting the undead, the nosferatu.

            His ears perked up, however, and he began to pay attention when he heard Khelben say, "So, Nire, I understand you can make gates into other worlds."

            "That's right.  That's how I got here."  She smiled a little, like a cat that's just caught a bird.  "I'm guessin' ya wanna know how, right?"

            "Well, yes, we would be grateful if you could explain the spell to us, or perhaps demonstrate it," Laerel said sweetly.

            Jander was afraid for a moment that Nire would refuse, just to be a problem.  That was something she would do without a second thought, but she just smirked at them and answered.

            "Well, okay.  There's a coupla way t' do it."  She paused and ran her hand through her hair, trying to figure out the simplest way.  Her hand abruptly jerked to a stop, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.  "You're telling my you _never_ figured out cross-dimensional travel?"

            Khelben, Laerel, and Danilo glanced at each other, a bit guiltily, Jander thought.  He sighed inwardly - this was the trouble he was on the watch for.  As far as he was concerned, this behavior, although not commendable, was semi-all right with most people (to tell the truth, one of her charms was her 'screw what you think and your stupid authority' attitude).  _Most_ people weren't mighty mages, Chosen of Mystra.

            As Khelben answered, Jander and Nire had a lightning fast telepathic conversation.

            _Nire… _

            _Well, doesn't that seem weird to you? _

            "Well, we can…but I'm looking for a less complicated way, that takes less energy."  Laerel and Danilo nodded to confirm what Khelben said, while Arilyn merely rolled her eyes.  She _hated_ any sort of magical travel.

            To her surprise, Jadner shared a commiserating half-smile with her at the stupidity of it all.  Why a gold elf would even _look_ at a half-breed moon elf puzzled her a little, not that she really cared.

            _See? Tol'ja. _ Nire said scathingly to Jander.  Out loud, she said, "So, why should _I_ share _my_ well-earned secrets?"

            _Nire… _ Jander said warningly, almost pleadingly.

            _Screw you and your stupid politeness!  Why should I waste my time telling anybody anything they already know? _

            "I mean, really.  Screw this, I have no more pity."

            Jander's nerves were already taut because of a perverse feeling that something bad would happen all week.  He had learned to trust these feelings.  Now, he was even more keyed up and nervous.  You never knew what could happen around people, mages, like this.  After that incident when he met Nire… Finally, hearing Nire talk to the two Chosen in that scathingly sarcastic tone she had, his jangling nerves snapped.

            "Will you stop being such a _vith _problem!?" he snapped at her out loud.

            As soon as he realized he had said it out loud, not telepathically as he had meant to, and that they all (except Nire) knew exactly what he had said…  Then the look on Nire's face - no longer pissed, just slightly deflated and crestfallen, with sad, worried eyes.  Her entire visage quickly turned hard, though, so no one else noticed it.

            "My apologies, lady," he first apologized to Arilyn, then to the rest.  "And to all of you, too."

            To Nire, he didn't bother with any verbal apologies.  She viewed them as being worth about as much as the breath used to utter them - in other words, nothing.  Her favorite saying was, 'Sorry's don't cut it in the real world'.  One of his favorite things about telepathy, that came in the most use, was that you could use emotions to convey things, not just words.  So, as an explanation, he let her see what he was feeling right now.  She smiled sympathetically in acceptance of his wordless apology, the whole thing taking only a couple seconds.  Still, she was noticeably subdued by his reprimand.

            _My, my, did you just swear? _ she asked playfully.  _What'd it mean? _

            _I'm _not_ teaching you to swear in elvish.  Get the idea out of your head. _

            Out loud, she said, "_An_yways…  The two easiest ways I came up with…" She paused to think.  A knife appeared from somewhere in her boots, and she began tapping the hilt on her knee.  Jander didn't think she even realized she was doing this.  The two men in the room and Laerel smiled at each other.  Arilyn had the exact same habit of playing with weapons when she was thinking hard.

            "Got it!"  The knife disappeared.  "Okay.  The easiest way is also the most dangerous.  D'you even want to know that way?"

            "Why is it dangerous?" Khelben asked, sitting forward in his chair.

            "Well, you need absolute concentration, to the point of almost entering a meditative state.  You have to picture where you wanna go and _will_ the gate into existence.  If your attention wanders in even the _slightest_, the gate will go to a random place, or to the place you were thinking about, and you won't know it until you step through.  It could end up in Tantras, in the deepest pit of the Nine Hells, under the ocean, a thousand feet up in the air-"

            "Wait, how do you _know_ this?" Jander interrupted her.

            "How do you think?" she returned with a perfectly innocent look on her face.  "It's _really_ hot in the deepest pit of the Nine Hells-"

            "What!?!"

            "Chill out, man.  I'm _kidding_.  Just yankin' yer _chain_.  Raist made me let him try it out before I used it."  _You worry too much. _  "Anyways, you just gotta will it and believe it will happen and concentrate hard.  But, you can only make three of 'em without resting 'fore you're basically unconscious."

            "That's about what we can get," Khelben said.

            "Okay,' Laerel said.  "And what's the other way?"

            "Ya gotta picture where ya wanna go, or who ya wanna go see.  Then ya reach out, like you're wrappin' a rope 'round y'ahm, and jerk.  'S not real 'magical' lookin', or anything', but I' works."

            "What about the energy factor?" Danilo asked.  Arilyn looked thoroughly bored.

            "Four 'r fahve tahmes.  Dependin'."

            "On what?"

            "Whaddaya think?  How good a night's sleep ya had, how healthy y'ahe.  That kinda stuff.  Duh."  She rolled her eyes.

            _Nire… _

            _Sorry Jander.  I couldn't help it.  It was a stupid question. _

            _Ready to leave? _

            Nire heard the strain in his mental voice.  _Sure.  They got what they wanted, and must be ready to get rid of me. _

            This was basically what she told them, after explaining how to close the gate.  "T' close it, ya jus' guddah picture a door slammin' shut and go like this."  She demonstrated the hand motion.  "Ah'ight.  Ya got watcha wanted.  I believe Jander and I will take our leave now."

            Nire stood up and Jander followed suit.  There was nothing else he could do, but he did wish she had used more tact.

            Khelben stood up, too.  "I'll see you to the door."  

A glance passed between him and Laerel, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly.  At the door to outside, Khelben turned to the two of them.

"Thank you very much for the information.  It should be very helpful.  Laerel and I would love to have you two for dinner some time."

"Ha!" Nire laughed.  "No you wouldn't.  I am _the_ pickiest eater in the _world_."

Khelben smiled easily.  "There's got to be _something_ you like."

She snorted disbelievingly.  "I dunno.  Maybe sometime."

Khelben shrugged.  "We'd still like you to come back sometime."

"You'll prob'ly see us 'round Wa'uhdeep sometime," was Nire's answer as she stifled a yawn.  Her strange accent got more pronounced as she got tired.  "I _really_ gotta get back 'for my parents realize I'm gone."

            "You're parents don't know you're here?"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'm out with a responsible adult.  What more can you ask for?  See ya lay-duh."

            She made a quick gate and stepped through.  Jander threw an apologetic smile at Khelben and followed her.  She immediately grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change.  When she came out, she tossed her clothes on the floor.

            "Pick them up.  What if your parents find them?"

            "Nag, nag, nag.  You're just as bad as a parent.  'Sides, my dad barely comes down this end of the hall,  'cept to say g'night t' my sister, and mom won't notice."  She did pick everything up and shove it into her closet.  "Happy?"  
            "Yes.  Do I really sound like a parent?"  He sat on the end of her bed.

            "Sometimes."  She grinned at him.  "I'm jus' yankin' yer chain.  I don't mind, mos' th' time."

            Jander looked a little concerned.  "Nire…Do your parents…Do they really treat you as bad as you say/"

            She stopped fiddling with whatever she had been fiddling with - froze, really - and sighed.  "Well…  I don't really know.  Maybe I'm exaggerating, but…  I'm the middle child.  Nobody really notices the middle child."  Surprisingly, she came and sat next to him, leaning into his side, so he put his arm around her.  Right now, she had that peculiar smell of depression hanging about her, which his sensitive nose picked up.  "Plus, I've gotten so good at blending into the wallpaper…  They don't abuse me, they just don't really notice me.  I'm not really neglected, and mom's not that bad, I just hate my father."

            "Why?"

            "Just… Many little things.  Like… I _hate having most people touch me, come into my personal space.  Not you," she said quickly, "you're different.  So's my mom.  But that's about it.  Well, and the other guys - Raist and Gar and such.  But I really don't like my dad being too close to me, and he __insists on patting my head, and shit like that."_

            "Why don't you just explain that to him, little one?"

            Nire laughed cynically.  "He wouldn't understand.  He didn't really have a lot to do with us when we were really little.  Now, it's like he expects he can have this really close, father-daughter relationship.  Just add water," Nire said brightly and laughed.  Jander, of course, did not get the joke, and just smiled a little befuddled.  "It's so stupid.  And he truly doesn't get it.  Even my _sister understands, don't come to close to Nire."  She paused for a moment, and moved a little closer to him, unconsciously seeking the comfort she would never admit she needed.  "Anyways, let's talk 'bout somethin' happy, 'kay?  'Nough complainin' 'bout my life."_

            Jander noticed how cold she felt, not really cold, but clammy, like she was coming down with something.  But, she did not smell like it, yet.  "I'm probably not the best person to be sitting with if you're cold, little one."

            "Oh, who cares.  You're scarily comfortable to be leaning against.  'S like," yawn, "you were made for this."

            That threw him for a little loop. He was a vampire, made for stalking people - even little girls like her - late at night and feeding on their blood. He was evil incarnate.  For the longest time, he had let no one get close to him, though some tried.  He sold his carvings, and that was it.  He was definitely _not made for having little kids (not really little anymore, though) leaning into his side, leaving their neck trustingly exposed, and telling him it was 'comfortable'._

            "That wasn't really too bad today, was it?"

            "Nope.  And, really, I'm sorry for snapping at you out loud like that.  I really meant it to be a telepathic snap.  I still forget, sometimes."

            "Sorries don't cut it in the real world, man."  Yawn.  "But, 's okay.  I didn't really mind."

            That was not what the look on her face as soon as the words had left his mouth told him, but he let it slide.  He had a sneaking suspicion that under her hard exterior, Nire was extremely sensitive and took everything to heart, then made herself (and the rest of the world) believe she didn't care.

            Which was why he added, "Really, I was just…  After that one incident with that piddling mage, being around any sort of mage makes me nervous.  And you're antagonistic approach wasn't helping, especially with two Chosen of Mystra."

            "Well, I'm a mage.  Does it make you nervous to be around me? And so's Raistlin, an' you come with me there all the time."

            "You're different, and yes, being around Raistlin does make me nervous."  Nire yawned hugely, and Jander stood up.  "You should really go to bed."

            " 'Kay," she said sleepily.  "Thanks for stickin' it out today." Then, she did the second (and possibly most) surprising thing of the day by jumping up and giving him a hug.  Before he could react, she was back under her light sheets.

            "Sweet dreams, little one."  As usual, he walked over and flicked off her lights, it having become a habit once she showed him how, and made a gate to go home.

*  *  *  *  *

            After watching his two guests go through the gate, Khelben walked back to the sitting room.  He wanted to see what the other thought of the girl, to see if they shared his opinions.

            "See?" Danilo said.  "I told you they were a strange pair."

            The two women murmured their agreement.  "Did you invite them back?" Laeral asked Khelben.

            "Yes, I did.  Her response was to ask next time one of us saw her on the streets.  The elf didn't say anything either way."

            "I don't trust him," interrupted Arilyn.

            "Why ever not?" Danilo asked.  "He seemed like a perfectly polite and agreeable person to me.  He was even polite to you."

            "Exactly.  He was a full-blooded High Elf.  You could tell that just by looking at him.  Look at the only two other full-blooded elves who've given me more than a second glance.  Kymil Nimesin and Elaith Craulnober."

            "Wait now, Elaith's not that bad," protested Danilo.

            "He was when I first met him."

            "Okay, so you don't trust Jander," Laeral interrupted, to forestall an argument, "but what did you think of the little girl?"

            Arilyn snorted.  "She shows good taste.  She obviously doesn't like you, Dan."

            Danilo put on as mournful face for his aunt and uncle.  "You see what I have to put up with?"

            "I, for one, agree with the lovely lady," Khelben returned.  Everybody paused to laugh a bit before continuing the discussion.

            "Are you going to try to win her over, Dan?" Arilyn asked.

            "I managed to marry you, my dear," was Danilo's immediate response, causing her to remember how much she had disliked him at first.

Arilyn finished her thought.  "She seemed…lonely, like she was an oasis in the middle of a desert.  No, more like a desert in the middle of an oasis.  It seemed as though, we were all in the room, but she was completely alone."

            "Yes, I had similar thoughts," Laeral said.  "I thought she was rather sad, for the same reasons that Arilyn found her to be lonely.  Yet, she seemed like she did not give a wit what anyone thought of her, almost that she was happy being a piece of desert."

            "Except when Jander reprimanded her."  Everyone's heads swiveled around to look puzzeldly at Khelben.  "Did none of you see her face?"  They all shook their heads.  "She looked like he had just shot her through the heart, although her mask was pulled quickly back down."

            "I wonder who's really in charger there," Danilo mused.  "On the street, and even in here, for the most part, it seemed as though Nire was."

            "I think that was only because Jander let her be," said Laeral.  "But I do wonder what their relationship is."

            "Definitely not any type of guardianship.  When I was outside with them, she said that she had to get back before her parents realized she was gone.  I'd wager they don't know about Jander, and he is just one of her friends."

            "Ah ha!"  Danilo snapped his fingers.  "That's what it is!  She seems like she had no home.  That she doesn't really belong anywhere."

            Laeral looked at Khelben, and the famous mage could tell exactly what she was thinking.  _I liked her.  We should try and give her some sort of home.  Luckily, he agreed wholeheartedly with her.  There was just something about the girl…_


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

(A/N:  To the dood who asked about…um…'Rebirth', I think it was, yes, that will eventually be continued.  In fact, my mum's making me start conformation classes (Even though I hate the Christian religion), so I think that's what I'll do during them - work on that.)

Discalimer:  Jander, Khelben, Laeral, Danilo, Arilyn, Caramon, and Raistlin belong to WotC.  Gar and Alea and Herkimer belong to Christopher Stasheff.  I think that's it.  You can pretty much figure out who's mine and who's not, anyways.  No money is being made, la dee da.

            Jander didn't see Nire for a couple of days.  He spent every minute of the next to nights carving, and selling what he finished for as much money as he could.  He was pretty sure he could sell enough to buy Nire that flute for her birthday, and was determined to do so.

            Nire, for her part, went and visited Raistlin.  After that, she couldn't do much else.  Raist was sick - he had influenza.  Nire managed to catch it from him, so she was now laid up in bed, only getting up to run to the bathroom to puke.  She was completely miserable.  TO top it all off, a heat wave struck, with high humidity and temperatures over one hundred.  It was complete hell for a child who planned to move as far North as Alaska, at least.

            The next time Jander saw her, her room stank of sickness, and she was tossing and turning in her sweaty bed.

            "Nire, are you okay?" he asked, immediately concerned.  Of course, he knew she wasn't, but it was the first thing that popped out of his mouth.

            _Do I look__ okay to you? she asked crossly.  __It's a million degrees in here, and I have the flu.  And be quiet.  My mom's sleeping on the couch, and I can't keep the soundproofing up. _

            _Okay, okay.  Well, it would help if you stopped moving around.  That's just making you hotter.   She was right, it was hot in her room._

            _What would you know? she snapped, still tossing around._

            _Common sense.  And open your windows.  It's probably cooler outside.   Plus, he was suffocating on the smell._

            _Watch out for the safety lock.  You can only open it two inches or so before it stops. _

            He opened them for her - carefully, so they didn't break - then crouched by her bed.  _Stop moving. _

            She threw him a withering glance, but did as he said.  _I'm hotter already.  And now I'm gonna puke. _

            Nire jumped up and ran to the bathroom.  Jander could hear the sound of the contents of her stomach coming up violently - and the sound of her mother stirring.  He quickly changed to a mist and drifted under her bed, just in case.  His caution was well-warranted. Her mother then put her back tog bed, the two speaking in a language he did not understand.  Once he was sure the mother was back asleep, he drifted out from the dust under her bed and returned to elven form.

            _Now that__ was cool. To Jander's surprise, he heard tears behind Nire's mental voice.  She curled up on her side, holding her stomach._

            _What's wrong, little one? \_

            _I hate __being sick.  I hate__ it.  It's the stupidest thing in the freakin' world. _

            _Sh.  Try to sleep, little one.   He brushed the stray hairs that were plastered over her sticky, sweaty face away with a cool hand._

            _You can't get sick, can you? _

            _No I can't, little one. _

            _You have no idea how much I hate you right now, was her bitter response._

            To say that shocked him was an understatement.  To think, someone actually jealous of a vampire!  Hearing those words from Nire, who tactfully avoided mentioning his affliction, set him back on his heels.  Which led him to the question of, why did she do things like that - kind things - when she didn't give a rat's ass about the rest of the world?  All through his 'deep' pondering, he continued his ministrations, laying the back of his cool, dry hand on her forehead and cheeks, cooling her off the best he could.

            Before dropping off to sleep, she told him, _Don't bother coming back 'till I tell you I'm better.  Being sick makes me real crabby and hateful to be around.   She paused drowsily, more than half asleep.  __I swear, I'm going to kill__ Raistlin. _

            _Of course, little one.  Sleep. He enforced his verbal command with a mental one, one of his vampiric 'gifts', the one thing he had sworn he would never do to an intelligent being.  Nire obligingly dropped off into a fitful sleep.  Jander stayed for a couple more minutes, keeping a cool hand on her forehead,  guilt already gnawing at his belly, then left._

            He sort of did what she said.  Nire was right - being sick made her grumpy and quick to lash out with her sharp tongue.  He would stay only long enough to make sure she was still alive and getting better.  People died from the flu in his world, and though (as Nire assured him) he knew in his mind that it was different in Nire's world, his heart refused to believe it.  The guilt, which surfaced anytime he influenced what anything did with his vampiric talent, was pushed to the back of his mind until it disappeared.         

            When she was better (in a remarkably short time, Jander thought, but apparently illnesses did not last as long in her world), the first thing she did was make him go see if Raistlin was better.  This was awkward, because he had only been there a few times, always in tow of Nire.

            Of course, the cursed mage was not better.  Sickly to begin with, this virus clung with a tenacious grip, leaving him weak and pale in bed, wracked with a hacking cough that was even worse than before and raging fevers.  Delirious at times, Caramon was worried sick about him.  Even Jander, who did not know them well at all, was concerned for the mage.

            When he told Nire this, her immediate comment was, "Fuck.  I have few enough friends in this world for them to start dropping like flies on me."

            "Nobody else is sick there," he was quick to reassure her, "other than sick with worry, little one."

            She gave him a witheringly sad glance.  "When people I know die, they all tend to go together.  First my grandpa, the only one who I actually _liked_, died.  Then my sister's cat, followed quickly by the cat I had known from the cradle and loved more than my sister.  Then, mysteriously, all my fish.  Next, my cat.  Lastly, my nana, though that was no great loss.  I hated her, her ex-husband, and my gran'pa's ex-wife.  But, still…  All within the year."  She paused for a moment, then snapped her fingers.  "Got it!  You comin' with me?"

            "Where to?  It's _late_, Nire."

            "So let's go wake some people up.  You're gonna meet s'more-a m' frien's, if'n ya come."

            "To get medicine for Raistlin?"

            "What else?  If you're comin', come."  She made a gate.  "Otherwise, feel free to hang around here 'till I get back."  And she was gone.

            Jander, as usual, followed her, sighing.

*  *  *  *  *

            In a little room, in a bed hot with fever, Raistlin Majere sat bolt upright.  In his fever-induced delirium, he had noticed something.  For some reason, this little fact had always managed to slip by him when he had his wits about him.  But now, fever-mad, his mind was free to realize that elf, Nire's friend, _did not age in the slightest_ when Raistlin looked upon him.  Of course, neither did Nire - that was one of the draws she had.  But, inherently, he knew that was because she was _special_.  How, he still wasn't sure.  This Jander person, however, was not.

            Raistlin's fever-wracked mind led him to conclusions that anyone else would have considered insane.  Jander did not age before Raistlin's hourglass eyes, and was only seen at night.  Coincidence?  He thought not.  Nire, who also did not age, was seen at all hours.  But this elf, seemingly immortal, was seen _only at night_.  And he never ate or drank anything, which Nire did constantly.  Raistlin's delirious conclusion?  This elf was a vampire.

            Before unconsciousness overtook him again and he slumped back onto his sweat-soaked pillow, Raistlin began trying to figure out how he could determine the truth of this conclusion.  And, more importantly to him, if it was true, was his little prodigy in any sort of danger?  For Jander seemed harmless, so far…

*  *  *  *  *

            Gar and Alea had just fallen asleep in their separate bedrooms, on the golden ship, Herkimer, only to be woken up by the ship's voice.

            "Nire has just arrived with another…person…in tow."

            Both humans sensed the slight pause before the word 'person', but thought nothing of it.  They both threw on clothes and ran a comb quickly through their hair.

            "What could she want at this hour?" Alea asked grumpily when they met outside the lounge.

            Gar shrugged.  "Who knows, but it's probably important."  Inside the lounge, he said, "Hello, Nire.  Long time, no see."

            "Been busy.  Then I got the flu," Alea shuddered.  Disease like that still killed on her world," which is why I'm here.  Oh yeah, an' this is Jander."

            "I think we might've met before," said Gar.  Handshakes all around.  Both Alea and Gar glanced at the pointy ears sticking out of Jander's wheat-gold hair, but were too polite to stare, or ask.

            "I caught it from one of my friends, and he's still really sick.  He comes from a world sorta like yours, Alea, and I think now he's got pneumonia, too.  I mean, it probably coulda waited till mornin', but…  Just in case… Look, you guys got better medicines than I got.  Is there anything you can give me to give him?"

            "Herkimer?"

            "Already on it."

            Gar and Alea glanced at each other.  That was a new one for the ship.

            "Ready and waiting."

            Alea went to grab the medicines while Gar explained how to dispense them.

            "He shouldn't be allergic to any of this, but watch him, just in case.  One of the little ones twice a day, and a big one at night.  They'll relieve the symptoms."  Alea came back in and gave Alea two bottles.

            Nire smiled in relief.  "Thanks, guys.  Jesus.  My uncle died o' th' same thing, 'for I was born.  But Mom still talks about him sometimes…"

            "No problem, Nire."  Gar stifled a yawn.

            She smiled.  "Go back to sleep.  And thanks again."

            Jander went through the gates first - rather quickly, at that - and Nire followed.  Gar and Alea immediately went to their respective rooms and were asleep in minutes.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander followed Nire, with some misgivings, through her gate.  She tended to go to really odd places, spur of the moment.  A second later, he completely regretted following her.  This place smelled sterile.  It smelled like people lived there, but…sterile, no smells of the outdoors.  In Nire's house, you could still smell the outside air - unfortunately (it stank heavily of pollution).  Here…nothing.  At all.

            He was already frightened and wanted to leave.  The absence of that common, everyday scent of dirt terrified him.  Then a voice came from nowhere, causing Jander to jump almost a mile.

            Nire heard, "Good evening, Nire.  If you wait a moment, I will wake Gar and Alea for you."

            "Thanks, Herk," was her response.

            Jander, on the other hand, heard, "Fsjd fhlkjasdhf, Nire.  Hjk sddfh fjkd d fhkds, fhds fhsdk fhskd Gar fjds Alea hfsd fdla."

            "Jbfakj, Herk."

            _Nire, what was that voice?  Where'd it come from?  What'd it say?  What'd_ you _say?  Where _are_ we? _

            Nire heard the growing panic in his mental tone, the almost childish need for reassurance.  So she said, in the most soothing tone she could muster, _We're on a ship that can sail between the stars, sometime far in the future of my world.  That voice was the voice of the ship, sort of like a guardian spirit.  It came from speakers hidden in the walls.  He told me he'd wake Gar and Alea - the people who live on this ship - and I thanked him. _

            _Nire, I really don't like it here.  It smells wrong.  Like…like there's no smell of the outdoors. _

            _'Course not.  We're in a big metal ship, flying in the space between the stars. _  She sent him a vivid image of the Earth from space.  Strangely enough, that didn't seem to calm him at all.  _Do you wanna go back to my room and wait for me?  Gate's still open. _

            Jander shook his head nervously, his eyes flickering around the room they were in.  He did not want to leave Nire alone here, no matter how safe she claimed to be.  But, deep inside of him, he had to laugh gratefully, a little.  The one thing about Nire was that she _constantly_ had music playing in her head.  And when she 'pathed to him, he could hear it (sometimes, he could even hear it when she wasn't consciously 'pathing to him).  In the middle of answering his questions, the music had switched from what it was ("Yesterday/All my troubles seemed so far away…" to a song with just a tune, a soothing, flowing tune (if he had lived in Nire's world, he would have recognized it as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata").  It was the little bit of courtesy - attempt to help - that he rarely expected of Nire.

            She watched the way his silver eyes flickered around the room, the way his mental tone was that of an extremely scared man who was trying to hide the fact that he was about to wet his pants.

            "Hey, look at me, man."  She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, thus grabbing his attention, for Nire to initiate any sort of physical contact was rare.  "Chill out and trust me.  Would I be takin' you somewhere where you'd get killed?  No.  Do you want me to use a spell so you can understand them and speak their language?  Sorta like I can speak yours?"  The way the spell worked was that she could understand him, though she was conscious he was speaking in another language, and when she so chose, she could speak his language.  But it was a conscious thing, not automatic.

            Jander nodded quickly, sharply.  Nire, just as fast, cast the spell, while muttering to herself, "I gotta make a general purpose one of these that lasts a lifetime.  That'll be my next project."

            At this moment, Gar and Alea came into the room.  This did not help Jander's anxiety any because they were freakishly tall - so tall, they were almost seven feet, possibly more.  Nire immediately noticed this and started a running dialogue in her head, to keep Jander distracted.  He was grateful to have something else to concentrate on.

            _Okay, man.  Just pay attention to my voice.  Ya shoulda left before.  And I have already run out of things to say.  Shit.  This is harder than it looks.  Oh well, I'm good at bullshitting my way through things, this shouldn't be any different.  Let's see now…Shake their hands.  Good.  Erg.  This is harder than I thought.  Um, to be or not to be, that is the question.  Whether 'tis, 'tis, 'tis, shit, not only do I sound like a broken record, I can't remember the rest of that, either.  A man walked into a bar and said 'ouch'.  Two men walked into a spaceship.  Once of them ducked.  That's a real stupid one.  Eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat, tongue of dog.  Double, double, toil and trouble, fir burn and- oh, good.  We can leave now.  Through the gate you go. _

            Back in Nire's room, the tension visibly ran off Jander.  Nire tried not to laugh at how relieved he looked.  She should have considered how he would react to something like that.  She sat down next to where he had immediately sat, on the end of her bed.

            "All better?"

            "I'm sorry, little one.  That was just…"

            She snorted.  "Doesn't matter.  Stupidididle on my part.  I gotta go see Raistlin, an' prob'ly get sick again.  You comin'?"

            He nodded.  Even Nire's room was a little much for him right now.  He made the gate, because Nire was looking tired.  He figured it must've been because she had been sick - her scent still had an underlying reek of sickness.

            Raistlin's room was just as bad as it had been half an hour ago.  It stank horribly of sickness and vomit.  Even Nire involuntarily wrinkled her nose against the stench.  She wondered why nobody was in the room with him, but she quickly telepathically located Caramon heading down the hall to the latrine.  Nire knelt by Raistlin's fever soaked bed, looking down on the skeletal body.  Already thin and scrawny, the fever had sucked him dry.  Nire had made a miraculous transformation.  No longer was she coarse and rough, but soft and gentle.  Her voice, always quiet, had a softer tone to it.  She turned to give Jander a stricken look, shocked by how bad her beloved teacher and friend really was.  Jander tried to breathe through his mouth as much as he could.

            "Hey Raistlin," Nire said in a voice that was not her own.  "Wake up, man.  I've got some medicine for you."

            Jander thought he was too far gone, but, amazingly, Raistlin's strange eyes flickered open.

            _Nire?_ he mouthed.

            "Hey man.  Open your mouth.  This'll make you better.  Ya know, you really should have taught me at least some rudimentary healing magic."

            Raistlin did as she said.  "Now either let it melt on your tongue or swallow.  Here's some water."  She conjured a glass of water and let some trickle down his parched throat.

            _More_, he mouthed after he'd swallowed.

            "Ya got one more to take, man.  Swallow this one, too."

            Raistlin swallowed the last pill with some water, and Nire continued to trickle some down his throat.  His eyes wandered the room, lighting on Jander's figure in the corner.  Luckily, this was right after he swallowed, so nothing was obstructing his mouth.

            He shot up to a sitting position and pointed a wavering arm at the vampire elf.  "Vampire!" he hissed weakly.  Jander looked ready to flee.

            _Eh.  You worry too much, _ was Nire's disgusted response to that look, as she pushed Raistlin to lie down.  "Well, now, that was very dramatic.  Have you been practicing?  And it took you 'till you're half dead and most likely delirious to figure this out?  Tsk tsk tsk.  I'm disappointed.  Chill out, he's cool."  Raistlin knew this to be a Nire euphemism for 'Don't worry, be happy'. "You tell anyone else, and I'm outta here, and you'll never see me again.  Wait, no.  You talk, an' you'll never get rid of me.  Ever.  There, that oughtta make you keep quiet."

            Even Jander heard the indignant _Don't talk about yourself like that! _ at the same time he said it out loud.

            Nire's gaze slid over to Jander.  "Looks like you're not the only fiercely overprotective one."

            At this point, Caramon chose to walk in.  He had already had this particular fly, and gotten over it just fine.

            "Caramon!" Nire hailed him.  "Okay.  This is medicine from my world for Raistlin.  One of the little one's morning and night, and a big one at night."  She could see the naked relief on Caramon's face.

            "Thanks Nire," he said fervently.

            "Well, Raist, I gotta go.  I'm not gonna risk getting sick again.  Sorry man, I just don't love you that much.  But you better get better.  C'mon Jander."

            He nodded to the Majere twins.  "Goodbye."  Caramon returned the amiable farewell, but Raistlin just glared untrustingly, the look strangely fitting on his pasty, skull-like face.  He looked like death come walking.

            Back in Nire's room, Jander slumped on her bed, the events of the spaceship completely forgotten.  He tried not the let the look get to him - Raistlin did not really know him, he mostly quietly tagged along after Nire - but, he couldn't just let it go.

            "Why couldn't you just deny it?" he asked petulantly.  "He was sick, probably delirious.  He would've believed you."

            "Because, he wouldn't've.  And you need more people like me in your life."

            "Did you _see_ the way he _looked _at me?"

            "Gah.  He'll come around.  You two are too much alike for him not to."

            He sighed.  It was no use arguing with Nrie, she always had an answer for everything.  "Do you want to go anywhere else tonight?"

            "D'ya know of any shops where I can buy spell components that'll be open this late?"

            "Only one, but it's extremely expensive."

            " 'S okay.  I got money."  And, lo and behold, she did.  A suspiciously large amount, at that.

            "Where did you get all that, little one?"

            "I worked, dumbass.  For an extremely kind, extremely rich elderly couple."

            This was a lie, and Jander could smell it.  But, he didn't push it.  He did not want to know if Nire had gotten the money illegally, or how she had done it.  Nire knew he knew, but didn't tell him the truth.  The one thing you would never expect of Nire, with her short, fat fingers (besides the fact that she was an excellent pianist), was that she was an excellent pickpocket.  Enough said.

            Jander gated them to an alleyway by the shop.  Although, in Waterdeep, nothing was considered 'out-of-the-ordinary', people would have noticed two people appearing out of the middle of nowhere, on the street.  Now, who was in the shop, but Khelben Blackstaff.  Nire did not _appear_ to notice him (_appear_ being the key word, for Nire noticed and heard _everything_, then pretended to see and hear nothing), and headed right for the dried herbs.

            Jander nodded a polite greeting and followed her.  "If you're going to buy herbs, why don't you just go find them out in the woods and dry them yourself?"

            "Duh.  This is easier.  You don't look for cost efficiency, or what makes more sense, but what is easiest and quickest."

            Nire browsed through what the store had to offer, muttering to herself.  Jander followed, not really interested in anything this shop had to offer.  Nire had been teaching him the basics of magic (for self-defense, she said), and he picked up on it almost as quickly ass he had, nut he wasn't as interested as her.  Instead, he kept an eye on the mage, who was slowly working his way towards them.

            _Nire, are you going to notice him? _

            _Would it make you feel better if I did, Mr. I-Am-So-Paranoid-But-Pretending-Not-To-Be? _

            _No, just wondering.  And you have to be paranoid to survive, if you're me. _

            _You're paranoid about the wrong sort of things.  You're nowhere near paranoid about the _right_ stuff to survive in my world. _  Still, she humored him, turning to the mage who was now only a couple feet away.  "Hiya," she said.

            "Good evening, Nire, Jander," was the cultured response.  "And how are you this fine evening?"

            "Fine, thanks."  Nire considered going into a list of fabricated maladies - she hated meaningless questions like that.  Nobody ever really cared how you were, it was just one of those meaningless strings of words, with just as meaningless and answer.  But, thinking of Jander, she forwent her original plan and gave the meaningless answer.  The poor vampire did not understand just how friendly and nice Nire became in his presence, how much she toned down her sarcasm and cynicism for him.

            "Is there anything particular you're looking for?" Khelben asked her.

            "Yep.  I jus' don't know what it is.  But, hopefully, I will when I see it."

            "Ah, yes, the most common way to find spell components."

            "Uh-huh," she muttered, distractedly, as she moved on to the powders.  "Got it!" She grabbed a small vial of…Jander didn't even want to know what it was.  She had a habit of picking really weird things.  "The original Stuff," said Nire with a grin.  "C'mon Jander."  She walked to go pay for her 'Stuff'.

            "Nire, do you even know what that is?" Jander asked.

            "Nope.  Most likely something extremely poisonous that will kill me if I inhale a single grain."

            "Then how do you know it's what you need?  And that it's not toxic?"

            "Um, duh, instincts."

            "You needn't worry about the toxicity of that particular powder.  It's completely harmless, whether inhaled, ingested, or injected."  That was Khelben, assuring Jander.

            Nire mentally stuck her tongue out at the vampire, while out loud she said, looking Khelben up and down, mock-suspiciously, "I don't trust people who use two many words that begin with 'in'."

            Khelben let out some low laughter.  Even Jander issued a tinkling burst of light elven laughter.  For him, that was a welcome respite from Nire's usual, extremely morbidly sarcastically dry sense of humor.

            "So," Khelben said as Nire and Jander walked out, "have you considered our offer of dinner, some time?"

            Nire turned to answer him.  "I'm telling you.  I am a horrendously picky eater."

            "Well, what about tea?"

            "Would it require me having to drink any of this aforementioned 'liquid'?" She made quotes in the air with her hands.

            A smile from Khelben.  "Not if you didn't want to."

            Nire considered for a moment, as Jander reminded her, _Tea equals daytime.  Not especially good for me. _

            _You don't even like it there.  It makes you too damned jumpy.  I can just say that something came up, or some sort of shit like that. _

            Before he could come up with a suitable response to that, she had told Khelben that that was fine, and had set a date, a little bit more than a week in the future.

            Walking out with them, Khelben asked Nire what she was planning to do with the powder she had bought.

            "I'm gonna make some sorta poison that'll kill ya with one drop," was her morbid, flippant response.  She waited a beat for what she had said 9in dead seriousness) to sink in (and she had this down to an art) before saying, "Nah, I'm just kiddin'.  I'm workin' on a…thing that'll let me speak the language of any world any town, and creature I happen upon, without having to hear it first.  Hopefully, I can make it so it'll last a lifetime."  She glanced at Jander.  "Or, maybe several."

            "That seems like a pretty big undertaking, sure to last several years," Khelben said, a bit disbelievingly.

            "Yeah, it porb'ly is, but it won't take that long.  But, oh well.  I'll figure it out eventually.  Let m' instincts guide me, an' it'll all come toge-" this word was broken off by a huge yawn "-together."

            "Ready to go home to bed, little one?"

            "Yeah."

            "Where exactly do you live?" asked Khelben, curious.

            "In a house.  Come see it - at least, my room, if ya want."  But she yawned again after that statement.

            Still, Khelben accepted.  Jander, of course, created the gate to take them there.  Nire was, as usual by the time she was ready to go back to her room, much too tired to create a gate. M Nire stepped through first, Jander last.  The vampire did not bother to close this gate, planning on going straight back through.

            "What's that?" Khelben asked as Nire stripped herself of her weapons, pointing to the light on her ceiling.  Jander recalled going through much the same thing, the first couple times he had visited Nire.

            " 'S a light.  Sort of like a lamp.  But no fire.  And there's no way in hell I'm gonna try to explain how it works this late at night."

            "How about that?"  Now, he was pointing to a white, box-like thing.

            " 'S a computer," Nire responded from under her bed, where she was secreting away her pile of weapons.  She always managed to get them off with preternatural speed.  Jander suspected that she had all the buckles connected together somehow, she all she had to do was untie one thing (or something like that) and the whole ensemble would come off.  "It's a…a machine that…give me a sec t' figure out how to explain it while I get on m' 'jamas."  She quickly grabbed them and was off to the bathroom.

            Khelben continued looking around her room, puzzling over this or that, passing by others.  He had to pick his way carefully because Nire's room was a pigsty, as always.

            When Nire came back in and tossed her clothes into the back of her closet, she said, "Got it.  It's a thing that let's you do a whole bunch of different stuff."  Then she sent him a whirlwind of telepathic images of her doing stuff with it.  It was much the same treatment Jander had received.

            "What was that?" Khelben asked, amazed, after she was done.

            "Tele-" big yawn.

            Jander finished for her.  "Telepathy.  It's the easiest way for her to explain things to people like you and I."

            Khelben looked impressed.  "Do you think I could learn this?"

            "Telepathy?" Yawn "Sure, why not?  A'ight.  I'm fallin' asleep here.  Y'all gotta leave."

            "Goodnight, little one," said Jander.

            " 'Twas a pleasure seeing you again," said Khelben.

            "Yeah yeah yeah.  Leave so I can sleep!"  _Good night Jander.  I'm sorry, and thanks. _

            Once more, Jander was floored by her apology.  He knew it was for telling Raistlin, that went unsaid.  The fact that she was sorry usually went unsaid, also.  Each day Jander saw Nire, she became a little more human towards him, and a little less towards the rest of the world.

            Khelben had already gone through the gate.  Jander flicked off Nire's lights, while saying, "That's all right.  And you're welcome.  Sweet dreams, little one."

            Even with his ability to see in the dark, Jander did not catch Nire's sad, slightly wistful smile.  Her dreams were rarely sweet, more likely to be nightmares, if she remembered them at all, which she usually didn't.  This was one reason for her insomnia, and want for Jander to usually stay until she fell asleep.  Sometimes, if someone was there right before she dropped off, her nightmares weren't as bad.

            Jander went through the gate, closing it behind him.  Khelben was still standing on the street, seemingly wanting to talk to him.

            "Does she have parents?" was the first question the mage asked him.

            Jander nodded.  "And a brother and a sister."

            "And do her parents know about you, or this?"  Khelben swept his hand around to indicate the world.

            Jander shook his head.  "Her world is not one of magic.  If she told anyone, she would be met by disbelief, and possibly thought to be insane.  If she showed them…well, it wouldn't be good."

            "So, if I may be so bold, what are you to her, and vice versa?"

            Inside, Jander was wondering, _Why do you care?_  Still, he answered.  "Friends.  I'm to adult she needs to get around here with minimum trouble."

            "You two seem more than that.  She doesn't have a very good family life, does she."  Khelben was hoping, by this abrupt question, to glean some information.

            "That's not for me to say.  I have to go now, if you'll be excusing me."

            "Of course.  I suppose I should be returning to my home, also."

            The two parted ways, Jander extremely relieved.  That feeling of imminent disaster had persisted and was growing stronger every day.  At this point, the only time he relaxed, was when he was alone or with Nire in her room.

*  *  *  *  *

            Raistlin got better quickly within the week, not entirely due to the medicine.  Once he became coherent enough to remember where his books were, he directed Nire to one that was filled with healing spells.  She barely saw Jander that week, for every night she was exhausted from working the spells on Raistlin.  She spent every spare minute she had with the mage, so Caramon could take a break.  The more robust twin had been bearing the brunt of Raistlin's illness for almost the entire length of the sickness.

            When the sickly mage was awake, most of the time was spent with him lecturing Nire, explaining to her how vampires were evil, and couldn't be trusted; explaining that she should get rid of this one, like Jander was some nasty dog that had followed her home.  Nire was beginning to think that she had made a mistake, and that Jander was right.  As usually, however, Nire came out on top, making Raistlin 'see the light' the day before she was supposed to go for tea at the Blackstaff Tower.

            "Good gods, Nire!  He's a vampire, the epitome of evil!  And, yet, you are so foolish as to trust it with your sleeping body!"  Nire had tried to explain how her friend could be trusted because he had often read her bedtime stories until she fell asleep.  "I had though you to have more intelligence than that!"

            Nire had tried to be patient with him.  She had more sympathy and patience with people who were sick.  But, by know, she had had enough.  "Oh?  He is the epitome of evil?  What of the stories I've heard of you?  Do you think I only come here to visit you?" she asked scornfully.  "And to Solace?  I've been all over Krynn, heard all about you, the cursed mage.  The power-hungry mage.  One who would do anything to gain more power.  How are the two of you any different?  How?"

            Raistlin was immediately transformed.  He had a sad, defeated look in his eyes, still wasted and sick.  "Yes," he said softly.  This is what he had feared all along.  In truth, he cared as much for Nire as he did for Caramon.  More so, in some ways.  "Yes, you are correct.  I, a power hungry mage who would kill his own brother; he, a creature of the night who feasts on the blood of innocents.  No, we are not so different.  You should not come back here."  And he turned away from her on his bed.

            Nire slammed her fists down on her knees in frustration.  "God damn it, you stubborn ass!  That was not the point I was trying to make!"

            "But it was the point I took."  Nire had never heard the proud mage sound so lost and small, and it scared her a little.  She almost regretted doing that to him.  "You were right in what you said.  I should be wearing _black_ robes, not red," he said suddenly and viciously.  "I killed my own twin!  I have less ties to you, so how can you presume to be safe?"

            Nire sighed.  "In case you haven't noticed, or that fever has addled your wits more than you will admit, Caramon is hale and hearty."  When people had told her he killed his brother, she assumed he had had a younger or older one he didn't talk about.  It never occurred to her to press either of them for information.

            "It was only an illusion of him.  But I did not know it at the time.  Thus I am guilty of _murder_."

            "Ay yi yi." Nire sighed.  "Tell me the story."

            "It was at the very end of my Test…" Raistlin related to her, in words and psychic images, the story of how an illusion of Caramon had 'saved' him, using magic, and the weaker twin had murdered him in a fit of jealousy.

            Nire was silent for a minute, as if waiting for him to continue (in reality, she was putting her thoughts in order).  "That's it?" she finally said.

            "Isn't that enough?" he asked quietly in a voice wracked with guilt and tears he was too strong to shed.

            "Hell, no!" Nire said.  She was glad now that she had a mind that could fabricate believable lies very quickly.  "Really look at the big oaf next time he come in here.  Does he really look like someone who could do any sort of magic?  Much less 'pick it up' as a little extra something?  Your heart knew it was so, even if your brain did not, and recognized the illusion.  If that had happened in real life, you would have done nothing, except become extremely bitter.  Duh."

            Raistlin was not convinced.  "I don't believe a word you're saying.  Do not come back here.  It's not safe for you."

            "Fuck you," Nire said calmly.  "I'll go where I please, visit who I want to.  Now, the point I was _trying _to make was, I met you, and you weren't half as bad as they later told me you were.  In fact, I get the feeling you would no be very likely to use me in any of your schemes, or try to hurt me."

            "Or course not!" he interjected quickly, looking incensed at the very idea.

            "Then give Jander the chance I gave you, okay?  My gawd, we're a trio of misunderstood loners, perfect for each other."

            Raistlin sighed pensively.  "Yes, I suppose you are right.  And you are a pretty good judge of people, I suppose.  If it will make you happy-"

            "It will."

            "-then I will give him a chance.  All right?"

            Nire grinned and hugged the bony mage, a rare act for her.  "See?  You have a soft spot for ugly girls who're good mages."

            Raistlin smiled at her, then asked, "Why do you care so much about finding friends for one vampire?"

            Nire smiled rather sadly.  "He is not an outcast by nature, like you and I.  Cruel fate made him so."

            "Apparently you do have a drop of pity in you." Raistlin sighed and shook his head.  "You are insane, Nire."

            "That's why you love me."

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire arrived promptly on time for 'tea' at the Blackstaff Tower.  Khelben was outside waiting for her, and he ushered her through the invisible door.  Nire gave him her read-made excuse about something having come up, which Jander had to attend to.

            Khelben's cryptic comment was, "I'm not surprised."  Nire thought he looked strangely relieved to see her.  She considered probing his mind, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

            Up in the sitting room where they were to take their tea, were Laeral, Danilo, and Arilyn.  Nire thought it a bit odd that the married couple were there again, knowing that they did not live in the tower.

            "Glad to see you're okay," Danilo said immediately.

            "What?" was Nire's confused response as she sat where Khelben motioned her to.  "Why would I be in any sort of danger?"

            "Well, you see-" began Laeral.

            Arilyn interrupted her.  "Your elven friend is a vampire," she said bitterly.  _I knew there was something wrong with him_, Nire could read clearly on the top of her mind.

            "But have no fear," Laeral said quickly.  "Professional vampire-hunters are dealing with him right now."

            "What?!" was Nire's shocked response.  _Jander!  You've got to get out of there!  They know!  People are coming! _  But she could not be sure if he had heard her or not.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

(A/N:  Ummm…I forgot what I was going to say.  Never mind.)

Disclaimer: Arilyn, Danilo, Khelben, and Laeral aren't mine.  Neither is Gar and Alea, or the Heroes of the Lance, or Raistlin.  No profit, yada yada yada.

            The people in the room took Nire's exclamation as one of horror and shock, and were quick to reassure her that she was safe.  Luckily, she got a response from Jander.

            _Don't worry about me.  Stay wherever you are.  I don't want you to get hurt. _

            Even though Nire was worried as hell, and it was daytime, she did as he said.  Whatever happened for the rest of the time she was in the residence, she did not really remember, except that she said she would come back and try to teach Khelben some vestiges of telepathy.  For some reason, she liked the mage.  In fact, she liked all the people in these worlds better than in her own.  After a reasonable time had passed, and she could leave, she also remembered Arilyn walking her out.

            "You knew," the half-elf accused her outside.

            "Of course I did," Nire returned hotly.  "How stupid do you think I am?"

            "You associate willingly with evil."  Arilyn's face was a mix of disbelief, anger, and shock.

            Nire, of course, laughed scornfully.  "Jander?  Evil?  That's about as far from the truth as you can get.  You are probably more evil than him."

            "That makes you evil for not getting rid of him."  Nire was pretty sure Arilyn hadn't heard a word she had just said.

            "I'm not denying that I'm evil.  Evil and immoral, I am.  To me, nothing is wrong as long as you don't get caught.  But Jander?  Evil?  And me evil for not killing him?  Good Lord, at times he refuses to be even seen with me, after I've robbed certain people and such."  Okay, so this was not strictly the truth, she hadn't exactly robbed anyone that he knew about, but it was still a good example.  Nire then popped out before the half-elf could say another word.

            Arilyn went back upstairs to the rest of the family.  "She knew," was the first thing he said.

            "Knew what?" Danilo asked.

            "That the elf was a vampire."  Her face was confused, but hardened when she added, "I knew there would be something bad about him."

            Danilo took her in his arms.  "What else did she say?"

            "That he was not evil, and when I accused her of being evil," she had the good grace to blush slightly at that, "she laughed and said that was undeniable.  Apparently, one of her mottos is 'nothing is wrong as long as you don't get caught'."

            The four people just looked at each other.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire worried and fretted fort he rest of the day, wandering her house aimlessly.  She was kind of surprised at just how worried she was.  After all, this was the girl who didn't give a shit about anything or anyone.  The very instant she judged it dark enough, she began searching telepathically for Jander.  It was hard to find him - he had all his shields up, and was basically blocking her.  She really had to work to find him, then gated to the hilltop he was on.

            The vampire elf sat bathed in the light of the full moon that had risen early, staring over a valley at nothing, his eyes glazed over.

            "Go away Nire," he immediately said as she stepped out of the gate.  To her, he sounded tired and defeated.

            "Uh-uh."

            Perhaps he could sense she was going to be difficult.  "Damn it, Nire!  I want to be alone right now.  Will you _please leave_."

            "Now think back.  When was the last time you left when I told you to?  Hm?  I'm just returning the favor."

            "Those times were different."

            "No they weren't."

            Jander's head whipped around and he hissed at her, drawing his lips back and baring his fangs.  As soon as he began to do it, he regretted it, but didn't stop.  This was the last he would see of Nire.  But then he realized (still hissing) that she was just looking at him, one eyebrow slightly raised, as if she were saying, "And _how_ old are we, hm?"  Her scent held not even a trace of fear.

            When he closed his mouth, a bit sheepishly, she asked, "Are you done acting like a two-year-old who isn't getting his way?"

            "Why can't you act like a _normal_ human for once," he muttered, his face in his hands.

            "Because then I wouldn't be half as fun.  By the way, did you know that your eyes glow when you do that?"

            He just shook his head, his wheat-gold hair glimmering in the soft moonlight.  They sat in silence for a while, Nire seated on the ground next to him.  Soon, he found himself talking.

            "Everywhere I go, it's the same.  There are always curious people, nosy people, who find out.  I don't even bother getting to know people anymore.  Why should I, and then have them turn on me?  You would think that I would be used to it by now.  But no, it hurts just as bad as the first time."  He paused, a lone crimson tear slipping down his cheek, shimmering in the moonlight.  Apparently, he suddenly realized he had been talking.  "Why am I telling you all this?"

            Nire grinned a little.  "Fort he same reason people on my world tell me things.  I listen like I'm interested, I don't talk, and I don't judge."

            "So you don't even care what I'm saying," Jander said miserably.  He absently wiped the tear on his face.

            "No," she said frankly, "most of the time I'm at least interested, and I definitely care about you," that seemed to surprise her when she said it, "so I care what you're saying."

            Nire patiently waited for him to continue.  She liked listening to other people's problems.  She did not know why, but she liked it, and she supposed that was why people talked to her.  The other reason, she knew, was because they eventually forgot she was there.  She overheard a lot of things because people did not know she was there, or did not think she was listening.

            After a little bit, just as she knew he would, Jander began to talk again.  "Why do I even care?  That is the most ludicrous part - the fact that I care.  I barely knew my neighbors, I'm a loner.  I don't dare get close to anyone anymore, fearing the bite when they turn on me.  And if they didn't - if I had friends, or fell in love - I'd have to watch the people I am close to age and die, while I remain forever cursed to inhabit this never-changing body."  He paused, and Nire took the moment to recite a poem she knew by heart.

            "We are the forgotten, The lone solitaires.  We are the ones for whom nobody cares.  We are the few, Wide-awake in the night- A scream on our lips and trembling of fright.  We are the few, And soon we are gone.  It's a lost hopeless world, why should we go on?"

            "Exactly," said Jander.  Nire finally placed his tone of voice - tired, ready to give up.  Now, he clearly waited for her input, one of the few who wanted her to give her opinion after they had told her something, and would not stop talking to her if she gave it.

            "Do you know what one of your problems is?  You don't talk to anyone.  You keep everything all pent up inside."

            "Oh?" he said suddenly and viciously.  "And what do _you_ know of talking to people?  You don't tell anyone anything.  You still cut yourself; I know that, I can smell it, as opposed to talking to people.  You never tell anyone anything.  So how can _you_ give _me_ advice?"

            "How?  Because I know how much better I would feel if I had someone I could trust, who would listen to me, someone I could talk to.  If there was someone in my life who would hold me when I cried, tell me the world isn't as bad as I think it is."

            "You have parents.  That's what they're for."  Now, he was angry, and just trying to hurt her.

            Nire laughed scornfully at that statement.  "Ah, yes, talk to my parents.  They don't believe anything I say.  If I told them how I'd like to kill myself, but am too chicken, they'd say I was making it up for attention.  You want to know the truth?  I'm a hundred times too sensitive - I cry when characters in _books_ die.  They don't care anymore, don't even listen.  What of my friends, you are about to ask?  Rare is the person who likes to listen to another's troubles."

            "And where would I find such a person?" Jander asked softly.  He was no longer angry, merely sad.  "Who would be willing to do that?  For you are right."

            "I would, of course," she said, just as softly.  "I seem to be good at it, do I not?  And I would not mind.  'Twould probably remind me that my life ain't so bad, after all."

            He finally turned to face her, his face shining in the fading moonlight.  Nire saw the tracks of tears down his face, and knew that he had been crying, although she could not tell from his voice.  His face was pitiful to look on - defeated and ready to give up.

            "Do you know that it is the same everywhere I go?" he asked.  "That it's been the same for centuries upon centuries?  I live somewhere for about a year, keeping my distance from everyone, then I move on.  But then, once in a while, I find myself somewhere that I really like, such as Waterdeep.  Just a few more days, I tell myself, they won't find out if I stay for just a few more days."  He studied her face intently.  "No, you would not be able to listen and continue to be my friend.  A friend I sorely need.  Few are those who can be friends with one constantly wallowing in self pity, fewer still who can be friends with one who walks by night.  The odds of finding someone who is both…"

            "But I am one of those few, just as you are one of those few.  Listening to others troubles gives us an escape from our own, reminds us, just for a second, that we are not alone.  Gladly would I listen to your troubles, day in and day out, so my mind would be taken off how bad my life is.  Just as you would gladly listen to mine, to gain the same effect.

            "If you know this, know that you can talk to me, then why don't you?"

            "Because I have to learn to trust again, just as you do.  Both of us have been burned too many times."  She surprised him by getting to her knees and hugging him tightly, which he gladly returned.  "But try to trust me," she said into his ear, "as I will try to trust you."

            For the rest of the night, they sat together on the top of the hill, until long after the moon had set.  In fits and bursts, Jander talked.  And in fits and bursts, Nire listened.  They had come to some sort of understanding together, one neither understood, and nor does this author.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Okay, guys, listen up."

            Nire had gathered all of her friends (including Jander, Gar, and Alea) at Otik's Tavern.

            Before bringing Gar through the gate, she had warned him, "If you try to screw with this world in any way, I swear, I will cut off your balls with a dull knife and make you eat them."  Gar laughed, thinking she was kidding, but Nire just looked at him in that way she had, until; the laughter tapered uncertainly off.  "I'm dead serious.  I've got all of two places where I can escape from my world, and not be reminded of any of it."

            Alea just had to ask, driven by a morbid curiosity, "But what about me?  I would have helped him."

            "You'd hafta watch," Nire replied calmly.

            Alea laughed at Gar's horrified expression.  "You wouldn't really do that, would you?"

            Nire actually stopped to consider.  "Well, if it was just Krynn, probably no, I'd just try to kick the shit outa you, scream and cry and make you feel guilty.  However, if you got to Faerûn, too… I probably would."

            "Well, don't worry," Gar finally said.  "We won't."

            It was extremely hard to convince Jander to come.  She could have just announced this to everyone telepathically, but she figured this would be a good ploy to convince Jander to face Raistlin, and vice versa.  The vampire was on the road again, after being kicked out of Waterdeep.  He could have gotten lost in a different section of the city, but that did not feel right.  If he did that, he would be forever on the alert, and get no rest at all.

            After a brief verbal battle, she got him there, telling him, "It'll only take me a couple minutes, then you can escape.  You can do this, man.  Besides, I'm tellin' ya, Raist's cool with you - I argued some sense into him."

            She had already, a long time ago, cast a spell on Jander that let him understand the language of Krynn permanently, so all she had to do was cast it on Gar and Alea.  Now, everybody could speak and understand the language of Krynn.  Jander was extremely nervous, going through the gate after Nire.  Raistlin was a mage, and knew what he was, and could have anything prepared for him.  But, Jander trusted Nire not to lead him into something like that.  Still, he stayed relatively close to her in the tavern.  Better safe than sorry.

            Everybody was already listening to Nire, so she continued.  " 'Kay, I just wanted t' let y'all know-" She broke off suddenly.  "Holy shit!  I'm a genius!  Raist, get me some paper!"

            Raistlin was used to her outbursts, although the others (save Jander, who was also accustomed to it) stared curiously.  Usually, Nire could just look at a problem and figure it out.  But, if it was something especially tough - such as the particular potion she just figured out - she would either work on it for a while using trial and error, or it came in a brilliant flash, like now.  Since meeting Nire, Raistlin had taken to keeping a stack of paper, quill, and inkwell in every room of his tower, and carrying some with him at fall times.  These, he produced now from one of his pouches and handed them to Nire.  She started scribbling furiously in her own language.  The lot of them watched her scribble in her messy writing.

            "What are you writing?" Tas asked, appearing next to her.

            "Don't talk to my yet, Tas," Nire said.  She started writing even faster, trying to get it all down within the five-second-time span that the Kender could keep silent.  Luckily, he was too busy trying to read her writing to talk for a good minute and a half, giving her time to finish.

            "What is it?  How come I can't read it?" Tas' ability to keep his mouth shut had worn out as she crossed the last _t_.

            Nire had learned early on that it was completely pointless to try to answer all of the kender's questions, and usually ignored them, as she did now.

            "Anyways, me an' m' fam'ly are goin' on vacation.  Point one being, those of you who come an' visit me, stay outa my room.  Point two being, we rented a house up in Canada - even more of the middle of nowhere than where I live.  There's no sorta distractions, other than we got a private beach.  This means my father's gonna be mental, my mother's gonna be whacked, and my sister'll be psycho."  She paused.  Jander sort of knew what was coming, and sympathized with her.  This would be hard for her.  "Look," she finally said, "I don't ask for much-"

            Tas interrupted her.  "You never ask for anything."

            "Thank you for that correction, Tas," she said dryly.  "_Any_ways… Odds are, I'm gonna need somewhere t' 'ang out, probably often, cuz it's for two weeks…"

            "My doors are always open," Raistlin quickly said.

            "Anytime during the day," Alea told her.  "It'll be another month, at least, until we land on a planet."  Gar nodded in agreement.

            "Why don't you come live with me 'n' Flint for a while?" Tas asked, ignoring Flint's glares.  "Why are you looking at me like that, Flint?"

            "Don't worry, Flint, I can't."

            "Why not?" Tas asked.

            "Cuz my parents won't let me, duh."

            "You know when I'm available," Jander told her, having relaxed a little.

            The rest of their sentiments were pretty much the same.  She smiled a little, saying "Thanks, guys.  That's all I wanted, I just didn't feel like repeating myself a bunch of times."

            She made a gate for Gar and Alea to get back to their ship outside the Tavern.  She had Jander make one to Raistlin's Tower, then grabbed his arm.

            "You're coming with us," she said.  OF course, he resisted, and she turned to face him, a glare on her face.  "See this?" she asked, waving the papers in her face.  "I figured out how to make that stupid potion, and I need a guinea pig.  In case it's poisonous, I need someone who's not sick, who won't die if it is.  You won't, will you?"

            _Hello?  Vampire, remember?  Can't eat or drink mortal food?  Ring a bell? _

            _Not even a tiny sip? _

            Jander sighed.  _I'll try, okay?  But why can't you bring it to me?  After you make it? _

            "Cuz I don't feel like it, okay?  Stop being such a baby!"

            "Nire."  He grabbed her arm, making her look in his eyes.  "Do you _swear_ to me that you made Raistlin 'see the light', as you say?"

            "I promise," she said seriously.

            This was enough for Jander.  Nire seldom made promises, for she _always_ kept them.  It was the one shred of morality she had.  He followed her through the gate.

            Raistlin was standing slightly off to one side in his voluminous red robes, tapping one foot impatiently.

            "What took you so-" He noticed Jander and paused for a split second.  Jander smelled his fear level shoot up, then slowly drop back down and level off, still pretty high.  "-so long?"

            "You need a nap," was Nire's mild comment.  "Go to bed.  I don't need you, just your spell components and my guinea pig."  She jerked a thumb at Jander.

            A wounded look flashed across Raistlin's face, almost too quick to see.  _He_ was her guinea pig!  Nire, of course, noticed the look.

            "Hey," she said, spreading her arms in a _What can I do?_ gesture, "I need someone who's not gonna die on me if it doesn't work and is poisonous."  She shrugged the same way.  "C'mon, Jander.  If you're gonna stop being grumpy, come an' help, Raist.  My room first."

            Jander thought she meant her room in her house, and was about to offer to make a gate, but the girl strode off through the tower, to a room near where Raistlin concocted his spells.  The red mage had given her a room to store her 'stuff', complete with a cot to taker a nap on.  She went around the shelves that lined three walls, checking her papers, and taking things down and handing them to either Jander or Raistlin.

            "I need-" Nire quickly rattled off a list of things.  "Do you have any of that?"

            Raistlin nodded and walked out, the two following him.  Into another room he went, collecting vials and handing them to Nire.  Then, Nire led them to another room, up a short staircase.

            "Put everything on this table," she said, putting her stuff down and grabbing a mortar and pestle, and a couple of bowls, laying the page of writing down next to them.  She began to work, talking to herself as she ground up bits of dried herbs.

            "How much of that do you need?" Raistlin asked as she picked up a stalk of a dried flower.  "Do you know how hard that is to find?  And how expensive?"

            "So, what, do you buy things like this just so you can say that you own them?  I only need this much," she said, breaking off the very very tip of the smallest leaf.  "Don't worry, I'm not as stupid as you seem to think."

            She finished with the dry ingredients, and moved on to mixing the wet in a separate bowl.  Raistlin and Jander stood in separate corners of the small room, watching each other mistrustfully.  Nire glanced at the two of them a couple times.  Finally, she had everything mixed together, and it had to sit for a couple of minutes.  Nire dusted off her hands and fisted them on her hips, putting all of her weight on her left leg, as she was wont to stand most of the time.  She looked back and forth at her two male friends for a couple seconds.  To her, it was very important for the two to get along.  She did not know the reason in her waking conscious, but subconsciously, it was because they were the two people she held in the highest regard in her life, and couldn't stand to have them hate and fear each other.

            Finally, Nire sighed loudly and frustrated, causing their heads to snap towards her.  "Mah gawd, you guys!  _Look_ at yourselves?  Look.  _I'm_ still alive, aren't I?  And I hang out with both of you, all on my lonesome, late at night."

            "That's different," Raistlin tried.

            "No it's not."

            "You're a kid," Jander said.

            "So?  I'm not the cutesy kind of kid people would have qualms about murdering.  NO, don't try to deny it, either of you," she said as they started to try and interrupt.  "I know it's true.  I know I've pissed both of you off enough times to have thoughts of murder running through your heads on occasion.  Now shake hands, and stop acting so God damned stupid.  Good God, you're making _me _nervous."

            They didn't move, just retuned their gazes to each other, watching for the slightest threatening move.  Nire waited a couple of seconds, to no avail.  She growled, marched over to Raistlin, and grabbed his arms.  She dragged him, unwillingly, to the center of the room.  There wasn't much he could do, because, not only did she weigh more than him, she was stronger, too.

            "Now stay there," she said.

            Raistlin played it smart and listened to her.  She moved, no less determinedly, to Jander's side.  "Go," she ordered him, pointing right in front of Raistlin.  Of course, he didn't move.  She tried the same tactic that she was used with Raistlin, but of course that didn't work.  She glared at him for, maybe, a full minute.

            _You know what?  Fine.  You didn't want to come here, so go to wherever the hell you're staying now.  You disappoint me. _

            Jander also caught her underlying thoughts, which she hadn't meant to include )he was beginning to suspect that he had the same level of abilities as Nire, so unless he was very careful, he would get her thoughts anyway - that would explain why he heard the music in her head sometimes when she wasn't broadcasting).  _This is hwy I don't bother getting close to anyone.  I can't trust them, they don't trust me.  Good Lord, have I ever done anything to him that would indicate that I can't be trusted?  No.  And he wonders why I hate people._

            "Go," she finally said out loud, dropping her arm.  "Raistlin can try it, or I can.  So go."  As she was turning away, a thought struck her, and she whirled back quickly, before he could move.  "But before you do, take a good look at Raistlin.  He has a whole hell of a lot more to fear than you, yet he's standing there.  At least he trusts me."

            As she began to walk away again, Jander's first thought was to say, "Why should I trust you when you still don't trust me."  That, however, would have been unfair to Nire, for she did trust him to a degree, as he trusted her.  Would she have followed him into a situation like this?  He was pretty sure she would have.  And the mage was definitely afraid of him.  So what did he have, really, to fear?

            Raistlin could see the indecision on the vampire's face as Nire moved back to her potion.  His fear was beginning to diminish as he watched the beast, and he could see that it wasn't a beast.  It - he, Raistlin supposed - obviously cared deeply for the girl and what she thought of him.  Maybe it - he - wasn't all that bad.  Or maybe it was putting on a convincing show.

            Still, Raistlin was not at all surprised when the vampire took a step towards him, one eye on him and one eye on Nire.  He stopped about two feet from Raistlin, and waited for a few seconds, as Nire checked her mixture, appearing not to notice them.

            Raistlin surprised himself by initiating telepathic contact with the vampire.  _How mad do you think she'll be if we break and run? _

            Jander blinked in surprise.  _Probably furious.  Why the hell does she care so much? _

            Raistlin gave the telepathic equivalent of a shrug.  _Any way you can think of that'll let us fake through whatever she's expecting us to do? _

            Jander was beginning to feel more comfortable.  _No, unfortunately, I can't. _

            Nire tried not to laugh, eavesdropping on their telepathic conversation.  They were both talking like they had to do some extremely onerous, disgusting task.  She was able to turn the escaping giggles into realistic sounding coughs.  She turned around and leaned back against the table to watch them.  Their psychic conversation died, and they just stared at each other for a minute - until Nire got bored of waiting.

            "Oh my God!  You two are overly dramatic!"  She stalked over and grabbed Jander's wrist, making him stick out his arm, then did the same to Raistlin.  They shook hands gingerly and quickly, then back away.

            "Oh, look," she said sarcastically.  "Neither of you bite.  And you're both still alive.  Whether that's a good thing," she muttered, "or not is a quandary."

            "Oo, big words for such a small brain," Raistlin said with a grin.  Nire chucked some harmless flashes of light at him, making him duck.

            "Any wiseass comments from you?" she asked Jander.  He just smiled and shook his head.  "Then c'mere.  I think it's done."

            The odor was unpleasant, even from where he was, halfway across the room. He was reluctant to come near it.  Nire struggled not to gag as she poured a little bit into a wine goblet - the only glass she could find.  Jander, himself, struggled with the mortal reflex of gagging as she came near him.

            "If just drinking it doesn't kill me, the smell will," he muttered dryly, reaching for the goblet.

            She jerked it back from him.  "Wait just a gosh-darned second.  Is this gonna kill you if you drink it?  Just on the basis that it's not blood?"

            "At the worst, it will just make me sick," he said, trying to reassure her.  "Nothing more."  _I think._

            "I heard that," she snapped.  "I'm deadly serious.  I've only got two people in my God-forsaken life who I can count on."

            _I'm not falling for that, _ Jander mentally injected.  _Just because it seemed as though you implied that those two people were me and Raistlin, does not mean that you really did. _  Of course, he knew that she had.  He just wanted to hear it out loud.

            "Yeah, well, I did you ass.  I got you, an' I got Raistlin.  An' I know, no matter what time of day or night, I can come to you guys' places and be welcome."

            "Okay, okay," Jadner held up his hands, warding off any more of her verbal assault.  "Breathe, little one.  I'll be perfectly fine."

            "You better, you ass."  She handed him the goblet.  "One mouthfull's all ya need."

            Jander grimaced and held his nose.  It stank to high heaven to his super-sensitive nostrils.  "Couldn't you have at least made it smell good?" he asked plaintively.

            "Hell, no," Raistlin said with a tight smile, surprising himself once more by speaking up with a joke.  "If it doesn't smell bad and taste worse, then it won't work."

            Jander grinned and closed his eyes (a mortal habit) and took exactly one mouthful, gulping it down.  He immediately started coughing and gagging (mortal things he hadn't experienced in centuries).  IT taste six hundred times worse than anything he had ever experienced, as a mortal or a vampire.  "Just…like…poison."

            "Are you gonna be okay?" Nire asked worriedly, immediately at his side.  She rubbed his back, like that would help.  He appreciated the gesture, though.

            He nodded his head, and swiped an arm across his lips.  "That tasted worse than sewage.  You better fix that taste, little one, before you try it."

            "Eh.  Everything comes at a price."  She took back the goblet, and began cleaning up, covering the leftover potion in the vial and the goblet.  Both Raistlin and Jander came over to help, both still wary of the other.  "Did it work?" Nire asked Jander, feigning indifference.

            "I don't know.  How can I tell?"

            Nire rolled her eyes at Raistlin.  "Uh, gee, maybe try it?  I don't know.  Duh.  Try to speak my language."

            "Did it work?"  His eyes widened, and he reverted back to the Common of Faerûn (that was what they were speaking).  "It did!"

            "Ha ha ha!"  Nire laughed jubilantly, grabbing Raistlin in a tight hug.  He looked just as surprised as Jander would have been.  This made Jander feel strangely glad - physical proof that he was not the only one whom Nire shunned physical contact with.  He had not even known until now that it subconsciously bothered him.

            "I am a genius!" she crowed with a grin.  "I rock!  Yes!"  Raistlin was grinning, watching her, and Jander realized that he was, too.  Now it was his turn for a hug, and he swung her around with a little laugh.

            "Now I can go anywhere with no worry of figuring out the language!  I am a genius!"

            "A very conceited genius," Raistlin said, still smiling slightly.

            "At least I don't deny it!"

            "Stop your bouncing around," Raistlin said, back in the crabby mood that was most common to him.  To Jander, the man did not smell as much of fear, anymore.  Oh, it was still there, but not as strong.  "Help me clean up your mess, lass."

            "Grouch, grouch, grouch," Nire said.  "Not even success can keep you happy for more than five seconds?"

            Raistlin sighed.  "DO you know what time it is, lass?"

            Nire smiled on the inside.  She usually got majorly pissed off whenever someone called her by that sort of childish nickname.  Strangely enough, when it was Jander or Raistlin, she did not mind in the least.  In fact, it made her feel sort of warm inside, which scared her.

            "Am I supposed to take a guess?"

            "It's one AM.  I have a right to be grouchy."

            "It's one AM!  Holy mother fuckin' demon weenie!"  The two men just stared at her.  "I gotta be up wicked early tomorrow," she said by way of explanation, "and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  We're going to my aunt's house, before we go on vacation, then I'm goin' for supper at the Blackstaff Tower.  Come help me clean this up!"

            Jander grinned at Raistlin.  "And it _all_ changes when _she_ needs to have it cleaned up."

            Raistlin rolled his eyes.  "You're telling me."

            "Good God, could it be?" Nire said sarcastically, pausing in her closing and collecting.  "Are you two actually _talking_ to each other?  _Hel_lo.  _Move_ your asses on over here and help so I can go home and get to sleep."  As they cleaned up, Nire explained how her potion worked.  "It lasts forever - that was the easiest thing to figure out how to do.  Basically, you can speak any language - man, demon, or beast - perfectly.  Ya know how other languages don't correct things like the place of verbs and adjectives and shit?  Will, this one does.  You think in your native language, but whatever come out is in the language you want to be speaking.  You can understand it all, write it all, everything.  Pretty nifty, eh?"  She noticed Raistlin's hourglass eyes looking at her funny.  "What?"

            "Only the gods have that kind of power," he told her.  He had no doubt that the potion would work as she said.  Nire seemed to have ridiculously good luck in making things work.

            Nire laughed at that.  "Oh, yeah.  I'm a fledgling goddess, sent down here for some reason, with all of my memories of my elevated position erased."  She rolled her eyes.  "The gods probably just like me for some perverse reason."

            They finished putting away everything, Nire labeling the vial and putting it and the directions with her collection of pre-made potions.  Then she held up the goblet.

            "Two swallows left.  Want one, Raist?"  Before he could answer, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed a quick mouthful.  Immediately, as she handed the rest to Raistlin, she started gagging and choking, coughing up a lung or two or three or four.  Jander and Raistlin were both immediately at her side, patting and rubbing her back like that would help.  Nire impatiently waved them off.

            "Blimey!" she said when she could talk.  "Goes down like fire, tastes worser'n sewage, and 's more powerful than one of them mushroom wine drinks that drow make.  Don't drink that, Raist, unless you've got your tea handy."

            Raistlin snapped his fingers, and a teapot and cup appeared before him.  He quickly swallowed the noxious liquid, as Nire poured him a cup of the other foul liquid.  Instantaneously, Raistlin began coughing, a dry hack that sounded like he was tearing up the lining of his throat.  His eyes teared as Nire handed him the cup of tea and took back the goblet.

            As soon as he appeared to be better, Nire said, "I really have to go, man.  'Night, Raist.  Jander, come with me, cuz I gotta ask you somethin'."

            Raistlin nodded his goodnight, afraid to test his aching throat.  He also nodded a farewell to Jander, who returned it as he followed Nire through her gate.

            In Nire's room, as she was in the bathroom changing, she said, _Don't get mad at me for what I'm 'bout to ask, 'kay?  All I want is a simple yes or no. _

            _Okay, _ he said a bit warily, wondering just what it was she was about to ask.

            Nire came back into her room, and was putting away her weapons and clothes, when she started to softly laugh.  "I can't believe that word came out of your mouth!" she said.

            At Jander's confused glance, she sent him an image of the night in Blackstaff Tower when he had swore at her.  He grinned a little, too.  It _was_ pretty out of character.  Nire was still grinning like a fool.  It had finally sunk in, that she had actually created that powerful a spell.  She would be _supremely_ happy for a few days.

            "What did you want to ask me?" Jander questioned her, curious.

            "Well," she got into bed as usual, "in some books I read, vampires can…I don't know…like, force people to do things…"

            She clearly wanted to know, not only if he understood, but if it was true.  "Yes, we can," he said, guardedly.

            "Well, you know how I'm an insomniac, and will be up for another couple hours."  He could see where this was leading.  "And I _really_ need to be asleep right now, so I was kinda wonderin…" she faltered as he began to shake his head.  "Please, Jander?  Please?  You know I wouldn't ask, unless it was really important.  I can't go to this place, running on only two hours of sleep."

            He spread his hands.  "I can't."

            "You can't or you won't."  This was why Nire didn't ask for things from people, even when she really needed it.  They always said no to her, so it was just a waste of breath.

            "I won't."  He could not begin to describe how he would feel if he did.

            "Damn you!  Fine.  It will be your fault, though, when I get screamed at for 'staying up so late reading'.  They don't believe me, you know.  They think I'm just 'playing insomniac' for attention."  Her parents did have a legitimate reason.  Desperate for someone to acknowledge that they cared about her, she usually complained of every little hurt, until it had become a habit.  Nire lay down and rolled over onto her side, her back to him.  "Flick off may light, will ya?"

            Jander paused before doing as she asked.  Now, he would feel guilty either way.  Catch-22.  He had absolutely no doubt about the truth of her statement.  Now he had to weigh which guilt would be worse.  If he was using his powers for good…

            "Nire," he said softly into the darkness.  She immediately turned to where his voice was coming from, meeting his eyes almost uncannily.  "Sweet dreams, little one."  Put into words, the basic command he sent was: _You will immediately fall asleep.  Your rest will be deep and restful, but you will promptly awake when someone tries to wake you._  Her eyes slowly closed, and she was out like a light.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

****

(A/N:  Guys, I know it's early, but I'm looking for possible relationships between characters – who you people want to see together.  I can't guarantee I'll comply with your wishes, but your responses will have some sway in what happens.)

Disclaimer:  Jander's not mine.  Neither are Raistlin, Danilo, Arilyn, Khelben, Laeral, the Heroes of the Lance, Gar, and Alea.  They belong to other people.  No money (although if you want to donate candy…

****

            Nire's trip to see her aunt was relatively fun.  Her grandmother on her mother's side had very little to do with her mother, so this aunt (great aunt, really) was like her replacement grandmother.  Her cousin, Annie, was there, too.  The three girls were stepping stone kids - Kerry the youngest at ten, Annie the oldest at twelve, and Nire in the middle at eleven.

            They played Frisbee outside for a while.  This was no fun for Nire, however.  Kerry and Annie had absolutely no talent for throwing the round disc, whereas Nire was extremely good.  She could only be amused for so long by aiming for their throats, ankles, or skimming over their heads.  She was relieved when Annie suggested they go explore the woods.  Annie led them over brambles and thickets and through the trees.  They found numerous wells, and the perfect hidey-hole, where they stayed for a while.  Of course, they had to go back to the yard, when the owners of the property came with their dogs.  It turned out that the three kids had crossed the property line and were now next door.

            The three agreed not to tell the two adults about the incident, fearing that they would get in trouble for going into the woods.  Of course, as soon as they got inside, Kerry blabbed the story to the two women, making it seem like Nire was at fault.  Nire was reminded of just how much she hated her family.  Her mother and aunt laughed it off, finding great humor in the story.  Laughing at Nire.

            Nire quickly realized that she was being foolish.  They weren't laughing solely at her, but at the three of them, and the situation.  She realized that this was the kind of paranoid behavior that created serial killers.  Nire had a talent for introspection, and psychoanalyzing herself.  That meant that when she noticed herself doing a behavior like that, she could stop it before it got out of hand.

            They got home at about seven.  Nire feigned sleepiness, and went to bed.  When her mother came and checked on her half an hour later, she appeared fast asleep, so her mother shut the door quietly.  Nire could now be assured of her privacy for the rest of the night.  Dinner was at eight, so she had half an hour to kill.  As usual, she chose to read.  When Nire wasn't doing something with her friends, she was reading, living vicariously through her books.

            Ten of, she quietly put on her 'Faerûn Clothes'.  Used to traipsing around the house after everyone was asleep, up and down the basement steps for food and soda, she made nary a sound as she went about this.  She suddenly realized that shed id not want to go to 'dinner', where she would undoubtedly have to use a lot of magic on everything so the taste would appeal to her picky palate.  She wanted to be on the road with Jander, walking with him.  Or having 'discussions' with Raistlin.  But, she was committed.  So, she went.

            As usual, someone was waiting for her outside.  On one side, this was good, because she probably would have missed the invisible door and walked into a wall.  On the flip side, it was Danilo waiting for her.

            She groaned.  "Good Lord, are you always here?"

            "Why do you hate me so much?" were the first words out of his mouth.

            "I don't like perpetually happy people.  Nor do I like perky people.  I don't like people whom everyone else likes because they're usually goody-goody two shoes.  And I don't like people who treat me like a stupid kid."

            "I made that mistake once!"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'm capable of holding a grudge for a loooong time."  As they walked through the door, she asked, "Have you ever missed the door?"

            Danilo laughed.  "I learned the hard way not to run through where I imagined the door to be."

            "That explains a lot," the girl replied dryly.

            Danilo laughed, then said, "Well, what is it I'm supposed to do to earn your forgiveness."  This girl was hard to read.  With Arilyn, he merely had to be persistent - which was really no mere thing with her attitude.  But, he got the sense that doing that would just push this girl farther away.  And it really bugged him that she didn't like him.  He was one of those people who was used to _all_ children liking him.

            "Why?" she asked suspiciously.  The feeling tended to be mutual between people like Danilo and Nire.

            "Because my uncle like you a lot for some insane reason, and I tend to be here a lot."

            Nire considered for a moment as they walked up a flight of stairs.  "Be patient," was her final, cryptic answer.

            For dinner, Nire didn't even bother trying the food.  She used a bit of magic inconspicuously so that everything that touched her tongue tasted like a burger and fries from McDonald's.  She ate a little bit of everything.  Although it was a pretty simple meal, she pilfered all of her manners from Laeral's mind.  Those she knew could be trusted.  She sensed that everyone was very impressed with her apparently impeccable manners, and tried not to smirk at that.  This whole telepathy thing really came in handy sometimes.

            Eating dinner with the Arunsun family was really a novel experience for Nire.  Why?  Because she was actually _included_ in their conversations.  At home, she tended to eat in silence, listening to the family talk around her.  Now, she actually had to _talk_.  It was quite interesting, even if it was only polite table talk.  The one thing that bugged her was that Arilyn kept shooting her funny looks, when the half-elf thought the girl wasn't looking.  The one time Nire caught her eyes and mouthed, _What?,_ Arilyn looked quickly away.  Still, Nire could guess what it was about quite easily.  She refrained from commenting, though, hoping a more opportune time would present itself.  After all, she was able to win over Raistlin for Jander.  Who better to try next but a half-elf who subconsciously craved the acceptance of full-blooded elves?  Even t her young age, Nire was a compulsive fixer, because her own life was in such shambles.  That was whys he was a good listener and always had good advice for those who asked for it.

            After a delicious desert (which Nire tried without the magic and actually liked) they retired to a sitting room.  Nire was actually semi-enjoying herself, even if she hadn't wanted to come.  Danilo was actually pretty funny, pretty nice.  He wasn't half bad.  But, the underlying note from everyone in the room _was_ pretty bad.

            The lot of the people in the room (minus Nire) had, basically, the same string of thoughts running through their hears, as they had all evening.  _Did she really know he was a vampire?  How could she?  Is _she_ a vampire too?  But I've seen her in the daylight, ands he at the food.  But it could all be a charade…_

            Nire had discovered something about her telepathic ability that apparently Gar and Alea did not possess.  Depending on how you looked at it, it was either an unfortunate consequence, or extremely beneficial.  If someone was thinking hard enough, worrying about something enough, Nire would hear it, regardless of how much she was trying not to.  With Jander and Raistlin, that was a good thing.  However, with this group, it was just plain annoying.

            She responded to their small talk normally, seemingly paying attention, but her mind was in another place all together.  There was no doubt in her mind that she would confront them before the night was over, or vice versa.  That was a given.  But, she had to come up with the perfect argument.  She discarded many tactics, but then came up with the perfect one - pity.  Hopefully, pity could make them understand.  She would explain just how much Jander hated himself, and hope that would work.  Or course, she supposed that she really had no business telling anyone that sort of stuff, but she shrugged it off.  As far as she was concerned, the ends did justify the means.

            To Nire, dramatic entrances always grabbed the most attention, so she waited for a lull in the conversation.  Then she burst out with, "Good God, will you people stop thinking so damn loud!  Yes, I knew he was a vampire.  No, I did not give a shit.  If you had known him even half as well as I had, it would not have mattered to you, either.  DO you want to, like, _discuss_ this, or something?  'Cause you are driving my _insane_.  Absolutely bonkers."

            They blinked at her for a moment of two.  All of them.  Nire waited patiently - she was used to that type of reaction.  Her bluntness was unusual and oft-times not appreciated.  She spoke her mind to adults and children alike, without care to how they would react.

            It did not take long for Laeral to regain her wits, and try to respond.  "Well, you have to admit, it _is_ a bit unusual for someone to know a vampire as well as you appear to, and not be one themselves."

            Nire tried not to be angered by this typical attitude.  For one ting, it was completely justified.  But, more importantly, once she became angered, the battle was lost.

            "I suppose that is a justifiable concern."  When she argued, Nire completely eliminated her accent, and used big words.  That tended to make people take her more seriously.  "However, you have seen me during the day.  Did I not just eat your food?  Those two things do not seem to add substance to your worries."

            "We also worry for your safety," Khelben put in.

            This threw Nire off for a split second, until she realized that they were probably lying.  "I'm safer with Jander than I am with anyone else."

            "How do you figure that?" Khelben asked.

            "He had faster reflexes than I, can sniff out danger, and a lot more."

            "I meant, how do you know that you are safe from him?"

            "How do you know that table still exists when you close your eyes?  You don't know for a fact, yet you persist in believing it is.  Have you never judged someone by instinct?  I know because I know."

            "How can you _associate_ with suck a beast?!" Arilyn burst out.

            "Because he is not a beast.  Because he is the sweetest creature you could ever come across.  Because he survives on the blood of _rats_ so he does not have to feed on that of an intelligent creature.  I've been with him at all hours of the night.  Oft-times, I've fallen asleep while he's still in the room, talking to me.  He's had me at my most vulnerable, and yet, I am still whole and mortal.  He did not drink my blood; he did not turn me into a vampire.  I find that to be reasonable enough proof that I can trust him."

            "But you can't be sure…" Laeral tried to say.

            "Oh yes I can," Nire interrupted.  "Jander would rather die than turn anyone into a vampire, than feed off a human, or an elf, or a dwarf, or a halfling.  He hates himself, he despises what he is, what he has to do to survive."

            "Then why doesn't he do the world a favor and kill himself?"  Everybody just sort of looked at Arilyn.  At least she had the good grace to look slightly ashamed.

            "Um, ever hear of some little thing called the Crimson Death?" Nire said sarcastically.  "No?" she asked to Arilyn's slightly confused expression.  "It's an undead spirit-like monster that is rumored to be the soul of a slain vampire.  For fear of becoming one should he die, Jander stays alive."  This was nothing Jander had told her out loud, but something she had read between the lines of his talk.  "He is one of the gods' most desolate creatures - a vampire with a mortal heart.  Do not speak of things which you could not possibly understand."  Nire sensed that he continuing calmness - present even in that last statement - was beginning to infuriate Arilyn.

            "And can you understand it?" Laeral asked gently.

            "You don't live my life.  You have no idea of what it's like to be Nire.  Could I understand how Jander feels?  Could I understand why he stays undead?  I understand all too clearly.  We all carry our own devils, even the young.  But he does not begrudge you for yours; do not begrudge him for his."  Suddenly tired, Nire hoped that she had made them feel sufficiently shameful.  "Look, it's late, I did not get enough sleep last night.  I need to go home.  I'm leaving for a vacation with my family tomorrow morn at four in the morning.  Thanks for dinner."

            Danilo immediately stood up and offered to walk her out.  Nire had the advantage of it being quarter of ten and she being a kid and an excellent liar, so they believed her.  Even the suspicious Arilyn did.

            As soon as they were outside, Nire said, "You were unusually quiet throughout that argument."

            Danilo shrugged.  "I can't quite decide who's side I'm on."

            "Well, forget what everyone else thinks for now, and remember how Jander acted the two times you saw him.  Draw a conclusion from that.  Also, consider, have there been any murders reported recently where the victims have been drained of their blood?"

            She nodded a quick farewell and gated back to her room.  She immediately stripped off her clothes, trading them for her pajamas.  Then she leaned against the headboard of her bed, scrunching her knees up to her chest and locking her arms around them.  Nire loved watching people argue and fight.  She, herself, loved to argue and get into fights.  But, when she was directly involved, it was different from when she was just observing.  It left her drained, totally and completely.  This, she could hide perfectly - seeming to be happy - until she was alone.  Then she broke down as she was doing now.  Silent tears leaked from behind her closed eyelids.  She was not inexhaustible, as she liked to believe.

            _Why can't we all just get along?_ she thought grimly and silently laughed.  _It's psychoanalysis time!_

            One thing Nire was able to do fairly well was discern the motives of herself and others.  Actually, she was good at a lot of that psychologist stuff, both on herself and others.  Now, she began talking it out with herself.

            "So, what's your problem tonight, Nire?"

            "Don' really know.  Jus' feelin' like shit warmed over."

            "Do you know what the trigger was?"

            "Sure.  I got in an argument with someone I actually sort of like.  A couple of someones, actually."

            "Why does this bother you?"

            "Why the hell do you think?"

            When Nire was doing something like this, it was as if she was actually talking to a different person.  When she was talking as her psychiatrist/psychoanalyst, her voice dropped a notch, became more professional and more serious.  Or course, when she answered, it was her usual, pissed off voice.

            "I think it would be better if you told me, Nire."

            "You need a name, dude."

            "We aren't talking about my name - or lack thereof.  We are trying to help you, so I can go back to my little room and sleep."

            "Pretty sad when the only person I can count on is myself, and even I don't care."

            "Now, why did this argument bother you?"

            "Now that's an excellent question.  I don't know, seeing as how I love confrontation."

            "We've already established that during precious sessions.  Yes, usually confrontation pleases you.  However, this time, it was different.  Why?  What did you just say?"

            "I don't know.  I guess because I actually like these people.  You know how I liked Raistlin one sight?  And I liked Jander on sight?  I liked Gar and Alea.  But I thought Caramon was boringly stupid, Tanis was a pompous ass, Flint was a boring grouch, and Tas was this annoying little pipsqueak?"

            "Yes, I do.  But, remember, I counseled you to give them a little time, and they turned out all right."

            "Yeah, let's try to focus on the problem here, okay?  Well, I liked Khelben and Laeral, and Arilyn the way I liked Raistlin.  I figured, 'Hey.  Here's another group who will listen to me.'  Apparently not."

            "What do you mean?"

            "They didn't take me seriously at all.  It was like they were thinking, 'She's not even a teenager yet.  She knows nothing.  We don't need to take her seriously - the wool is easily pulled over her eyes.'  This just proves that the only way to be taken seriously in _any_ world is to be over the age of twenty=one.  I doubt even Jander and Raistlin take me seriously."

            "Now, what was this argument about?"

            "Well…it was about Jander."

            "What about him?"  Even when talking to herself, Nire generally had to be prodded to talk.  She was extremely introverted by nature, except to a select few people.

            "A few asses in Waterdeep discovered he was a vampire.  Yadda yadda yadda.  Of course, the Arunsun's knew.  They found out I knew he was a vampire.  They weren't going to confront me, so I confronted them.  The ensuing argument was about how vampires are evil, yadda yadda yadda."

            "Now, why did this particular argument bother you?"

            "Because, they refused to be swayed!  Raistlin was moved a little bit each time I argued.  These people weren't moved in the least!"

            "But why should this bother you?  You can't win every time."

            "I…I suppose because this was more important to me than most things."

            "Why?"

            "I don't know!  Why the hell should I care so much about one stupid issue!?  Why should it matter to me?  I don't care about people, and people don't care about me.  That's how it's always been, and how it always will be!"

            "And, yet, you obviously do care.  From observing you daily, I see that you have let two people get under your armor - Raistlin and Jander.  Could that be why this argument bothered you so much?"

            "Are you trying to say that I give a damn about the two of them?"

            "Yes, you do."

            Nire paused before answering herself.  "I suppose you are right.  I was a fool and allowed myself to come to care for Jander.  SO it bothers me when other people can't see the same elf I do.  Also…I guess I see myself in him.  He, like I, is outside the world, moving through the shadows, not allowing himself to care for anyone, knowing they will eventually hurt him.  Knowing how I feel, I don't like seeing anyone being condemned to the same fate as me."

            "So, what-"

            "No," Nire interrupted her other self.  "I'm tired, and going to sleep.  Goodnight."

She promptly did just that, closing her eyes and _forcing_ herself to slip into the realm of blesséd unconsciousness.

*  *  *  *  *

            Late at night, after making love, Arilyn lay in Danilo's strong arms.

            Quietly, Danilo said, "It really bothers you, doesn't it, that every single full-blood elf you meet that is civil to you, turns out to be evil."

            "Of course it does."

            Danilo gently brushed a stray strand of raven-black hair off Arilyn's face.  "I honestly think that Nire's right.  I really do.  That was not an evil elf we met.  A cursed one yes, evil, no."

            "And you have always been a trusting fool."

            In an unguarded moment, Danilo saw the pain on his love's face.  Gently, he kissed her.  "Please trust me on this."

            Arilyn slowly shook her head, looking him in his beautiful gray eyes.  "You're wrong.  There's no such thing as a 'good' vampire."

            "There's a first time for everything," was Danilo's last comment before he dropped it.

*  *  *  *  *

            The next day, Nire was stuck sitting next to her sister for more than twelve hours, driving to Campobello Island.  In fact, she was in that enclosed space with both parents, too.  Luckily, she had her Walkman, so she put in one of her Beatles tapes and listened to it, the volume up loud enough to drown everyone else out.  She also had plenty of books to read, and a sketchpad to doodle in.  Her father was atypical male, refusing to stop at any shops, barely willing to stop for bathrooms and food.

            That was actually pretty much okay with Nire.  She _loved_ long car rides.  She was perfectly content to sit in a car for any length of time, quietly doing something, or even just staring out the windows.  Nire had always found the motion of cars soothing, able to read or do anything without getting carsick.  She possessed the remarkable capability (no one _she_ knew possessed this quality) of riding in a car for six hours straight, then being able to get out and walk perfectly.  She figured that would be quite a boon if she were ever in a situation where she needed to get out quickly and run for her life.

            The vacation actually wasn't that bad.  Her family was relatively normal for the two weeks.  The house was rather large, standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  Down a steep flight of rickety steps was their private beach.  Unfortunately, they could not go swimming - the water was too cold, and there were too many rocks.  Still, it was great for collecting seashells.  They got some really cool ones, including some whole sea anemones and sand dollars.  The house had a Jacuzzi.  The three girls (Nire, her sister, and her mother) relaxed in it every night.  Nire was minorly disgusted by this - the though of other people having been in there before her sickened her a little bit.

            They went to a public beach where they could go swimming in the surf.  Nire, of course, stayed playing in the sand.  She did not like oceans.  Not because of the vastness, or because of the cold water, but because they had plants and seaweed in them.  She was perfectly happy swimming in her nice, clean pool at home.

            The best thing about the entire trip was the wind.  Atop the cliff, next to the house, was the perfect spot to fly kites.  Before going up there, Nire's father had bought two professional kites.  They were the funnest things to fly.  Well, one was, anyways.  He had bought a normal kite and a stunt kite.  They couldn't get the damn stunt one to work.  But the wind was so strong there that the kite was almost pulled out of Nire's hands when she flew it.  It went so high that it became just a tiny dot in the sky.

            During these two weeks, Nire went to visit Raistlin once.  They celebrated her success over wine and a fine dinner.  Raistlin found it absolutely delightful that he could now travel anywhere and not be hindered by a language barrier.  Nire found it massively cool.  This meant she could speak goblin, which opened an entire world of foul language to her.  Nire wasn't big on using cuss words, saving them for big things.  But, when she did use them, she could swear a blue streak in her own language, worse than a sailor.  Now, with the goblin language open to her, the possibilities were endless.  No longer did she have to be creative and use her imagination.

            Nire talked to Jander two or three times.  He was now on an aimless road trip, wandering with no destination in mind.  He would stay in a town for a couple days, then move on to the next one.  For him, life sucked, and he knew it.

            Nire did not talk to any other Krynnians, or her space faring friends.  Nire was not a people person.  She needed to take a break from her friends every so often, or else she would become sick of them.  Then, the friendships would be over forever, not just for a week or two.  That was what Nire usually used summer vacations for - recuperating from her friends.

            At the end of the two weeks, Nire did not want to go home.  She liked it in Canada, and her family was semi-normal there.  Rationally, she knew it was because they were on vacation, but still…  Although it was August, Canada was relatively cool.  Nire already knew that she would be living somewhere up North, somewhere cold, when she grew up.  Now, she thought maybe northern Canada, as opposed to Alaska.

            The drive home wasn't as bad as she had expected.  They had driven down to Disney World when Nire had been in third grade.  On the way home, Kerry had sat upside down in the seat next to her, screaming that she would never get in the car again.  Of course, they had also been stuck in a traffic jam on the Tappenzee Bridge at the time.  This time, they got home without incident, Nire's life immediately returning to normal.

            It took a couple of days for the effects of the trip to wear off on everyone.  But then, Nire was back to staying in her room most of the time, hiding from her family.  She still hadn't been to see any of her friends of the other realms.  But, she _had_ gone over her best friend's house.  Coryn and her were tight, the girl being the first person that Nire actually trusted that was the same age.  They went over each other's house at least once a week.  Nire had a feeling she was setting herself up for a fall, but she always felt that way.

            Now, Nire was helping her neighbor pack to mover.  Nire and Kerry spent almost every day down there.  Emily had a one-year-old daughter named Madison.  Kerry and Nire were sort of like mothers' helpers.  They would play with the baby while Emily did housework.  But, Emily was also their friend.  She did not talk to them like they were kids, getting her many brownie points in Nire's book.  Bow, Mike had gotten a job offer in New Jersey, so they were moving there.  Nire was sure there was a curse on her - anyone she liked either died or moved away.

            The family was leaving in the morning.  Kerry was watching Madison while Nire helped to pack the car.  Nire was struggling not to cry.  She had already been yelled at once by her mother for crying because Emily was leaving.  According to Kerry and Nire's mother, "It wasn't like she was dying - you can still write to her."  To Nire, that was a bunch of shit.  She couldn't go visit Emily the way she could go visit Raistlin if he moved - nobody knew of her powers in this world.  As far as Nire was concerned, this was as good as Emily and Madison being dead.  Letters weren't the same.  Subconsciously, Nire still lived with the belief that if you can't see someone, they aren't there.

            When Kerry and Nire had to go home, they parted Emily's company with a promise to write.  Nire then locked herself in her room (as well as she could with there being no locks on her door).  She heard Kerry and her mom muttering about what a big baby she was.  That was it for Nire.  She was done with this family.  She considered going to Raistlin, but didn't act on it.  He was only a temporary escape, staying in his tower.  Nire wanted to be on the move.  She _needed_ to be on the move.  Gar and Alea were stuck on stupid Herkimer.  They wouldn't be very understanding, anyways.  It was still daylight, so she couldn't go see Jander - he would still be asleep.

            Normally, with these options gone, she would go down and play with Madison for a while.  But she couldn't because they were moving.  And now she was crying, and she didn't want the bastards that claimed to be her family to walk in on her.  So, she gated to outside of where she knew Jander to be.  He was holed up in a cave, as usual.  She did not know how, but he always seemed to be able to find one when he needed it.

            Nire sat down at the edge of the mouth of the cave, leaning against the wall and scrunching herself into as small a space as possible (which wasn't very small).  She had about an hour to wait until sunset, but that was just peachy with her.  She wanted to revel in her misery alone.  At home, Kerry tended to burst into her room at random times.  She was not worried about Kerry finding her room empty tonight.  Nire was the can of the family.  The more sure you were of her being in a room, the less like she was actually in there.

*  *  *  *  *

            An hour later, Nire was done crying, and all traces of her emotional outburst were gone - even her face looked normal again.  AS the last rays of sunlight were extinguished by the horizon, Nire sensed Jander standing just beyond her line of vision.  So cloaked in shadows was she, that Jander himself would have missed her had he not been able to smell her.

            "Good morning…evening…whatever," she said.

            "Um, hi Nire."  Jander was starving, and here was this succulent human sitting before him.  He slowly ran his tongue over his lips and teeth, feeling the fangs that had slid down.  He could hear her heartbeat, pounding in his ears.  He disgusted himself.

            "You look hungry," Nire told him matter-of-factly, with a slight grin.

            If she had known what had been running through his head just then, she wouldn't be sitting there.  "Um, yes, I am."

            "Well, just cuz I'm sitting here, don't let that stop you from eating."

            He stared at her for a moment.  "Okay.  I'll be back in a little bit, then."

            Jander hunted until he was satiated, then returned to a patiently waiting Nire.  He looked at her slightly quizzically, and she realized that she had never changed - she was still in her trademark jeans-and-a-T-shirt.  Jander, of course, was too polite to comment.

            "You're drooling," Nire bluntly said, pointing to one corner of her mouth.

            Jander flicked his tongue out, licking up the spot of blood.  He immediately blushed, remembering she _was_ mortal.  The proper thing to do would have been to wipe off the trickle of blood with his hand.  Nire, of course, grinned.

            "You're really cute when you're embarrassed," she said.  Recently, she had begun to realize just how handsome her friend really was.

            Jander quirked his lips in a quick smile.  "So, what brings you here so early in the evening?"

            She shrugged.  "My family is being an ass again.  What more can I say?  Can I stay witchoo for a coupla days?"

            "No," he said immediately.

            "Why not?" was her instantaneous rejoinder.  She hadn't expected him to say yes, but it was worth a try.

            "Because your parents would miss you."

            "No they wouldn't."

            "You didn't expect me to say yes, did you?"  He caught on fast.  "What do you really want?"

            "Two words.  Road trip."

            "Road trip?"

            "Road trip," she confirmed.  "You have no particular destination in mind, and I feel the need to wander.  Let me travel with you at night, and I'll go home during the day."

            "And, you didn't just come out and ask me that because…?"  HE sat down next to her, stretching his arm out and snagging his pack and his bedroll (just because he was a vampire did not mean he didn't desire comfort), and started putting it away.

            "There was a slight chance you would say yes to my first choice.  So, do we got a deal?"

            "Of course, little one.  Let's go, then."

            Nire grinned and jumped up.  "You rock, man!"

            The wandering helped relieve Nire's anger and get over the loss.  Jander actually enjoyed having someone along with him.  It made his actual life just that less lonely.  Nire's parents noticed that's he began sleeping late and going to bed before dark. But, they didn't comment.  They never did.

            For Nire, this was a chance for adventured.  This would be supremely fun.  And she was right.

*  *  *  *  *

            School would start in two days.  Nire was ready to go back.  She was extremely sick of being stuck with her sister, twenty-four/seven.  The new neighbors had moved in.  The girl, Jill, was Kerry's age.  The three of them would play at one of the two houses.  But, as always, Nire was the outsider there, the fifth wheel.  But now, it was Labor Day, and school was about to start.  Today was the last night Nire could travel with Jander.  This was something she would miss.

            Nire had her favorite sword strapped to her waist.  Jander had a long sword he carried 'just in case'.  Nire had discovered that eh wasn't that much of a fighter early on.  Now, she had vowed to teach him all she knew of fighting as soon as she could, that it was just obscene that he couldn't fight at least as good as her.

            Right now, they were just passing by a tiny town, a little before midnight.  Jander didn't plan on stopping, claiming it was too early.  Nire agreed, but enjoyed baiting him for a while.  Unfortunately, he caught on much too quickly for her tastes.

            "Wait," he said suddenly, stopping.  "I hear something.

            Nire grinned at him.  "So do I.  And they're telling me that you're paranoid."

            Jander grinned and shook his head.  "I'm serious.  These aren't Voices."

            "Bull _shit_!" she laughed.  "You're hearing ghoulies in the tr-" she broke off as she heard it, too.  Jander had hear panting breath and a pair of pounding feet, followed by a horde of shouting, pounding feet.  It was obviously a chase.  Nire only heard the shouting and pounding feet, but it was getting closer.  She still, however, couldn't discern what the voices were saying.

            "Should we stay and see if they come closer?"

            "If you want to," Jander said, knowing she would.

            They patiently waited, they noises getting louder.  Now, Nire could make out what they were saying.

            "Get 'im!  Let's kill 'im this time!  Damn vampire-boy!  Let's get the freak!  Tire yet, Whitey?  That's right!  Keep runnin'!"  There were slight variations, but, all in all, they were an unimaginative bunch.

            They kept waiting, and waiting.  Pretty soon, the panting runner came into view.  He was probably only a little older than Nire, maybe fifteen or so.  He was running _fast_.  A ways behind him was the mob.  It was ridiculously large to be chasing one person, and that pissed Nire off.  The runner zoomed past them, and into the woods.  Nire did a quick surface check of the lone runner.

            "He's cool, they're asses," she said at the same time Jander told her, "He's innocent, they're just a mob of ruffians."

            Nire laughed and Jander smiled a little.  "Are you ready to rumble?" Nire asked with a grin.

            They both stood in the middle of the road, in almost identical positions: feet spread and firmly planted in the dust of the road; swords vertical before them, tips on the ground and hands resting lightly on the hilt.  Nire grinned a little - they must look pretty damn foolish, a little girl and an elf.

            The group was small, contrary to how they sounded.  There were five teenage boys - Nire immediately identified them as a group who would be bullies in any town.  They didn't look too bright, either.  If Nire was them, she would have sent two around to continue the chase, leaving her and two henchmen to deal with the freaks blocking the road.  But, these people weren't that smart.  They all stopped, standing there slightly curiously.  It was like the tuffs were trying to decide if Nire and Jander were dangerous.

            "Is there a problem here?" Jander asked.

            _Where the hell are their parents? _ Nire asked rhetorically.

            The teens had no weapons whatsoever, other than their fists.  They looked at the two swords, then at each other.  Jander was, without Nire's knowledge (if she had known, she would have killed him for ruining her fun), sending waves of fear at them.  He carefully blocked Nire from them, making sure she would have no suspicions.

            "Shouldn't you be in bed at this time of night?" Jander asked.  The mob still said not a word.

            Nire glanced disgustedly at Jander.  She knew exactly what he was doing.  "Boo!" she suddenly said, not quite raising her voice, but not quite _not_ raising it.  Of course, the teens broke and ran back to the village.

            "Do you _enjoy_ ruining my fun?" she asked Jander sarcastically.

            He merely shook his head helplessly.  "I'm sorry little one, but they were only children."

            Nire, in turn, shook her head.  "You're hopeless.  C'mon.  Let's go find that kid."

            Jander tracked the teen by scent, Nire by telepathy.  The kid was good -he had zigzagged, doubled back, making a confusing trail.  Jander used the opportunity to teach Nire how to track something, without using her psychic powers.  She was a quick learner - ridiculously quick.

            When they caught up with the kid, he was up in a tree, hidden from view.  He must have had pretty good night vision to make it through the trees without breaking a bone.  Nire, herself, had excellent night vision for a mortal, but even she stumbled a couple of times, and had to line her feet with mage fire.

            Nire mentally grinned at Jander.  _This is how Gar met Alea.  Can you say déjà vu? _  Aloud, she said up to the tree, "That's not very smart, you know.  What would you do if they happened to find you?  You got nowhere to run."

            "You can come down now," Jander said gently.

            "Yeah," Nire broke in.  "They guys who were chasing you ran home crying to their mommies.  We scared the shit outa them."

            Nire and Jander could sense the kid considering it.  He finally opted that they must be 'good guys', and dropped from the tree, landing lightly on the ground before them.  Nire couldn't really see him, the night being too dark to make out anything more than shadows.  Wanting to see what made this boy so freaky, Nire caused a ball of light to grow in her hand.

            "Warn a body before doing that!" Jander exclaimed, blocking his eyes as the boy shied away from the light.

            "Sorry," Nire apologized, immediately dimming down the light to a dull glow.  "Better?" she asked, to which Jander nodded.

            Now, Nire could see the kid.  To her, he didn't look that strange - only a bit pale.  She could see he had blond hair, but couldn't tell the eye color - she would bet on blue.  He was a lanky adolescent, pretty normal looking to her.

            "Hiya.  I'm Nire."  She stuck out the hand not holding the dim globe of light.  "That's Jander."

            "Azrael."  He had a weak, uncertain grip, and seemed reluctant to come close enough to shake hands.  Jander easily recognized his attitude as that of Nire - completely untrusting.

            "That's a cool name," Nire said.  Jander did not think that the boy realized that she was much younger than him.  "So, why were those thugs chasin' ya?"

            Azrael shrugged.  "That's what they do."

            "More importantly," Jander said, "why were they chasing you in the middle of the night?  Shouldn't you and them have been in your homes with your family?"

            "I don't need no family," Azrael said viciously.

            _Ah ha! _ Nire said to Jander.  _A street kid._

            _Really,__ and how did you come to that conclusion? _ he responded dryly.

            _Because I'm a genius and you're not.__  Stop making fun of me. _

            "But why were they chasing?" Jander queried again.  "How do we know we haven't hampered the virtuous?"

            _Pretty language, _ Nire couldn't resist commenting as she secretly 'leaned' on the teen to spill.

            "Well," he almost stopped there.  "Well, because.  I…I can't go out in the sun - it hurts my eyes, I burn really easily, and it makes me feel sick," he said in a rush.  Jander glanced suspiciously at Nire, but she just gave him an angelic, innocent look.  "But I'm not a vampire or anything."  He looked ready to run again.

            "Oh ma gawd," Nire said.  "You're still alive and healthy?  NO vision loss or abnormal growths?"

            Now Azrael looked confused.  "No."

            "You're a walking miracle!" Nire told him.

            "Care to elaborate?" Jander prompted her.

            "Not really."  Beat.  "Just kidding!  Okay.  Unless you were cursed by a mage, it's a birth defect."  To the slightly puzzled looks she was getting, she said, "That means you had it before birth.  It's always been there.  It's called xer-, xe-, xero-, two big long words I can't pronounce, XP for short."  She paused.  "Xeroderma pigmentosum.  Ha!  I said it!  Anywho, I strongly suggest that if you want to stay alive and not-blind, stay out of the sun."

            "How do you know that?" Jander asked.

            Nire tapped her head.  "A veritable encyclopedia of useless knowledge up here."

            "More importantly," Azreal said, "is there a _cure_?"

            Nire shook her head.  "Sorry, man.  None that I know of."

            _Nire__, we have to get moving. _

            _Can he come? _

            _What about me? _

            Mental shrug.  _We can make up a story. _

            _All right, if you want._  Jander did not want to ruin the last full night Nire could be with him with an argument.

            "S, you don't have any family," Nire said bluntly.

            "No," was the guarded answer.

            "So, why do you still live there?  I'm assuming those dudes are always on your back."

            "Where else am I gonna go?"

            "Good point.  Come with us."

            "Why?

            "Why not?"  Nire shrugged.  "It's gotta be better than stayin' there, right?  'Sides, I'm trying to start up an adventuring band, and you can't gain no respect with only two people."

            "Since when?" Jander exclaimed at the same time Azrael said, "Adventuring bands are daylight things."

            "Since now," Nire answered Jander, "and says who?  I'm a night person, he's a night person, you're most certainly a night person."

            Azrael considered it.  "Maybe for a while, I guess."

            "Cool.  Ya need anythin' back there?"

            Azrael shook his head.

            "Then let's move out," Jander said.  "We have to find a campsite by daybreak."

            Azrael wasn't a talker.  In fact, he was even less of a talker than Nire was.  He walked a little bit apart from the two friends, on his guard and mistrustful.  Nire and Jander kept up the semi-constant chatter that they had been engaged in for the past couple days.  As long as Jander could continue coming up with topics, Nire would keep talking.  They attempted to include Azrael in their conversations, but he generally stuck to monosyllable replies.

            With the sky turning gray, Jander finally found a place for him and Azrael to sleep.  Nire wondered what he would do if, one time, no shelter could be found before dawn's early light, but didn't ask.

            What she did ask was, "What do you guys need?" To their slightly questioning looks, she added, "Well, you don't have a bedroll or anything, Azrael, and Jander doesn't have anything extra.  And it's not fair to make Jander do all the hunting, cuz he doesn't carry food with him.  So whaddaya need?"

            "How're you gonna get the stuff?" Azrael asked.

            "Magic," was the placid answer.

            Azrael narrowed his eyes.  "Okay, a bedroll, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.  Whatever else, I can get at the next town you go by."

            "What's going to be open at this hour of the morning, little one?"

            "I know of a place."  And she did, gating to the filthy alleyway behind the place.  It was not a place that Jander would have approved of, but it was always open.  Nire grabbed the two things, paid, and quickly got out of there.  The shopkeeper gave her the creeps - he looked like the kind of man who would gladly rape a girl her age, no matter what the aforementioned girl looked like.  One of the good things about the place was that age didn't matter - as long as you had the cash.  It was one of the few places she could purchase goods without any trouble.

            Back in the tiny cave, Nire dropped the three items, plus a bag of food she had filched from Raistlin's kitchen.

            "There's the stuff.  I'll see you guys later."

            "Where're you going?" Azrael asked.

            "I don't live in this world.  It's a long story, but I can only be here at night.  Another reason for having a midnight adventuring band.  Bye Jander."  She gave Jander a quick hug, surprising the shit out of him.  Then she left.

            "What's with you?" Azrael asked of Jander's stupefied expression.

            "Nire doesn't touch anyone.  She _always_ keeps her distance."

            "Whatever."  Azrael immediately unrolled his bedroll and went to sleep.  Jander, however, waited quite a bit before actually going to bed.  He wondered what had brought on this seeming change in Nire.  Was it that she was actually beginning to trust him?  He knew that she said she did, but he doubted it.  He knew that she was closer to him than probably any of her other off-world friends (minus Raistlin), but he didn't think she really _trusted_ him.  But then, they had known each other for not that long.  Not hat short of a time, but not that long.  He had known on the day that the whole road trip deal started that something had been wrong, but she didn't tell him, and he thought it would be rude to ask.  Jander figured that in time he would gain that little whatever, and she would come to trust him.  In time.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Disclaimer:  Y'all know the drill.  No new people (that aren't mine) yet.  Yada yada yada.

            When Nire started school, as she did every year, she got two new outfits and whatever school supplies her mother was willing to buy.  Kerry, on the other hand, got three or four new outfits, and whatever school supplies she wanted.  Nire just sighed and rolled her eyes at this.  She was beyond caring.

            At school, she was excited to be in middle school.  Now, she might _learn_ something, not be retaught knowledge she had known since kindergarten.  Of course, she was mostly wrong.  Out of the five academic teachers, she only liked one of them, Miss V., the English teacher.  She was a little younger than Nire's older brother.  The rest of the academic teachers didn't really like Nire, and she didn't like them.  She didn't like the gym or health teachers, either.  Mrs. Sokol only liked the athletic kids, and Mr. Cullen was just an ass, period.

            Related arts went in five cycles.  Right now, she was in music.  So far, she liked Mr. D. okay enough.  As always, Nire was in both chorus and band as extracurricular activities.  She thought this would be a good year.  Especially since she was now changing classes, and wasn't in the same room with the same group of kids all day.  She didn't even mind that there was no recess.  What she didn't like was that there was a _lot_ of homework, because they were 'preparing' the sixth graders for seventh grade.

            The one person in that building that Nire _really_ liked was the school librarian, Mrs. Quinn.  Nire spent almost every day, after school, in the library until it closed.  By then, her mother would generally be ready to drive her home.  Her mother tended to stay late, doing paperwork.  As far as Nire was concerned, the whole arrangement was stupid.  Her property bordered the school's, which meant she could walk to school.  But her mother didn't want her home alone, so she was stuck.

            Gar and Alea were on another planet again -a lost colony.  As usual, they wouldn't let her come visit t hem.  The last planet they had been on had been relatively quick, but this one might take years.  Needless to say, Nire was pretty damn pissed.

            Raistlin, she saw pretty often.  Every afternoon, right before dark, she would go visit him, and do her homework there.  It was so much quieter than her house.  Nire needed noise to work, but she needed _her_ kind of noise.  Either music, or her talking to someone.  Or, a TV, of course.  But, she could not work with her sister popping in on her, or her father doing the same.  Those two people just pissed the _hell_ out of Nire.

            Of course, she saw the other guys on Krynn at least once a week.  She had to keep up her fighting skills, obviously.  She hadn't been to Waterdeep lately, so, of course, she hadn't seen any of the people associated with Blackstaff.  Although Nire had said that she wouldn't be able to 'wander' with Jander anymore, she still did, for one or two hours a night.  In fact, she had gone back the next day, immediately before the sun had set.

            As soon as she sat down, Jander came out to see her, even though there was still a little bit of sunlight.

            "You better have a really good story to tell him," he said, sitting down beside her, "or else I don't think I can do this."

            "Do you want to go inside?" Nire asked him, a bit concerned.

            Jander shook his head.  "I can handle the five minutes it will take for it to set.  Well?"

            She had already come up with something _she_ found plausible.  "Okay.  You're a night owl just because you are.  Some people are naturally like that, so you don't have to worry about that.  You have to go off and  be alone for a while at some point during the night to perform some ritual.  You don't like prying questions about the aforementioned ritual - it's very secret and sacred, or something."

            She seemed done, so Jander asked, "What about why I don't eat?"

            Nire shrugged.  "Let 'im think what he wants to think."

            Jander cocked his head slightly.  "Well, he's waking up, so we can't discuss it anymore."

            Nire searched Jander's face.  "You didn't have to say yes, you know."

            He blinked at her.  "I know."  Jander was absolutely _dying_ to find out what as with this sudden change in Nire.  First, an actually voluntary hug that _she_ initiated.  Now, this.  He was mystified.  But, he couldn't come up with something suitable to ask that wouldn't piss her off.

            "Hey man, y'okay?"

            Jander realized that he had zoned again, and snapped himself back,  "What?  Oh, I'm fine.  Just thinking…"

*  *  *  *  *

            Azrael, of course, accepted their explanation and respected their privacy.  Or, he just didn't care.  Nire thought that was the more likely probability.  He was distant, apathetic, and ambiguous.

            "This is what you've been dealing with for the past two years?" she quietly asked Jander one night.  She had known that she wasn't easy to handle, but hadn't known just how wearying and exasperating someone like her was, until now.

            "What do you mean?" Jander asked quizzically.

            "I see myself in him.  How could you have handled me, put up with me?  How can you, now?"

            Jander detected an undertone in Nire's voice that he had never heard before, and couldn't place.  _You have no idea how much I needed a friend just then, little one. _ "Plus, you didn't and don't shut people out completely - you at least _pretend_ to listen and answer."  He dared to sling an arm around Nire's shoulder, knowing that she needed cheering up for some reason.  She did one of her 'tense-up-then-quickly-relax' things.  "You're Nire.  Who couldn't like you, even in you standoffishness?"

            "You'd be surprised," she muttered, concentrating on Azrael's back, a couple yards ahead of them.

            "What happened, little one?" he asked her softly.

            Nire's head snapped around to face him as they walked.  "Nothing.  Why?"

            "You just seem…I don't know…sorry I asked.  I didn't mean to pry."  With Nire, just asking _that_ little was prying.

            "That's okay." She smiled up at him.  "Going back to school just made me realize what a town of assholes I live in."  As usual, the teachers didn't like her very much, even though she had done nothing to earn their animosity.  Over the summer, she managed to forget things like that.  In a quick subject change, she said, "How old are you?"

            "What?"

            "How old are you?"

            "Why?'  This was a touch subject for him.  In fact, anything having to do with his vampirism was a touchy subject.  Usually, Nire was pretty good about that.

            Perhaps she sensed that, because she grinned at him and teasingly said, "I'm trying to see if you have a good excuse for not being able to swordfight.  Like, maybe you were just-just brought across."  She was talking quietly enough so that only his ears could pick up what she was saying.

            Jander smiled at his young companion.  "It's not that I can't fight, I'm just not as good as you."

            "Which is sad," Nire interrupted.

            "Nit it's not.  Why would I need to know how to swordfight?  If I meet anyone I can't…deal with, then that would not help."

            "Because it's fun."

            "Fighting and killing is _never_ fun, little one."

            "Killing…I don't know about that.  I've never killed anyone.  But fighting…" Nire grinned.  "When it's against a friend and you know you won't be killed, then it's fun.  When you're learning from a friend, it's fun.  When you're finally beating you master, it's fun.  I would have thought you would have understood that."

            Jander smiled at his young friend, glad to know she understood that.  "Yes, Id did, but I wanted to know if you did."

            "See?  I do have _some_ morals.  But it's still a travesty that I could probably kick the shit out of you."

            "No you couldn't," he said, showing her a hint of fang as a reminder.  He was pretty sure by now that something like this wouldn't freak her out, that she thought it was kind of cool.

            "I bet I still could," she said stubbornly.  "You have no idea what the guys have been teaching me."

            "You're bluffing.'

            "Am not."  Of course, she was.  "Hey Azrael!  Who do you think would win in a fight?  Me or Jander?"

            "Jander," came the sullen reply.

            "Why?" she asked.  Although he hadn't seen her fight an actual person, she often spent a few moments while Jander was hunting practicing against invisible people.

            "Because," he told her nastily, "you're only eleven.  He's got at least a century of experience on you.  I bet even I could kick the shit out of you."  He unconsciously mirrored her phrase.

            Nire's eyes narrowed in anger, a dangerous sign.  "Nire…" Jander tried to warn her, but she ignored him.  As usual.

            "How much are you willing to bet on that?"

            Azrael shrugged indifferently.  "How much are you willing to lose."

            Nire actually paused to consider for a moment.  "Fuck the bet.  Just prove it.  Or is your mouth writing checks that your ass can't catch?"

            Azrael crinkled his brow and looked at Jander.  Jander just shrugged.  Not even he understood everything that came out of Nire's mouth.  "I think she means are you saying things that you can't prove.  Or maybe that are untrue."  He looked expectantly at Nire to confirm him.

            "Yeah.  Exactly.  Well?"

            Azrael glared at her.  "Fine."  He spread his arms.  "Let's go."

            _Nire, what are you doing?  You're either going to embarrass him y beating him up or get hurt. _

            _Don't worry, man.  Can't you fell how mad he is at the world?  I'll let him beat me up for a couple minutes, then still figure out how to win without making him look stupid. _

            _Very diplomatic of you._

            _Fuck off, it's common sense. _  "Well?" she said aloud as the conversation in her head was going on.  "Weapons?  Hand to hand?  What do you prefer?"

            "Hand to hand," was the answer.  "I don't have any weapons."

            "That doesn't mean I couldn't get you some.  But bring it on, anyways.  G'outa the way, Jander."

            The elven vampire slightly backed off, trusting Nire's account of her own abilities.  He watched as they circled each other warily.  Azrael threw a couple punches at her, which she blocked easily.  Nire didn't return them, content to wait until she felt the time to be right.  She knew how to street-fight, and she knew that timing was always the key.

            "Hey, we forgot winning.  Who wins?  First one down?"

            "First one knocked out loses."

            Azrael suddenly rushed her, throwing a flurry of punches.  She blocked a few, but some weak ones still got past her defenses.  She winced in pain from one, one that got through by accident, that she didn't pick and choose.  She returned the barrage with a few half-hearted kicks of her own.  One got through, scoring a hit on his shin with her tow.  Jander could see that she wasn't trying.  To him, it was obvious, but he hoped that Azrael wouldn't see it.  He watched with interest as she let the angry teen throw her, starting to be impressed with both of them.  Nire knew how to take hits and falls so she didn't get hurt.  Azrael knew more fighting styles than just street-fighting.  Jander surmised that this was because he had to know how to beat people bigger than him, and when using street techniques, that was never a sure thing.  The bigger person usually won.

            Nire took fall after fall and hit upon hit, all in good humor.  She was getting tired, of course.  Yes, she could fight, but she still wasn't athletic.  Caramon and Tanis were working on that with her, trying to build up her endurance.  It was _slow_ going.

            "Fuck!" she burst out as he kicked her in the shoulder.  "That actually _hurt_!"

            For Nire, the game was up.  She was done playing around, done letting Azrael beat on her to relieve his anger at the world.  She drew his attention to her hands, throwing punches as fast as she could.  He blocked some, deflected others, but wasn't able to return anything.  She completed the intent of her attack, sweeping his feet out from under him, causing him to drop.  When he stood up again, she was ready, and slammed a fist into his temple.  He dropped, dazed.

            "Do I win?" Nire asked, crouching next to him for an answer.

            Jander could sense Azrael beginning to think about getting up and continuing the fight.  In fact, the teen shook his head, telling Nire that there was no way in the Nine Hells she won.

            "Don't be a fool," the vampire snapped.  "She beat you fair and square, so let it go.  A fluke, maybe.  But she's still got you down, and in a real fight, you would be dead by now.  Quit while you're still conscious."

            Azrael grudgingly said, "Fine.  Whatever.  You're pretty good for a little kid."

            Jander drew in a breath, expecting Nire to be angry, but she just grinned and offered him a hand up.    
"Thanks.  You're pretty damn good yourself.  That's not just street-fighting you used."

            Jander wasn't sure whether Nire was being sincere, or trying to make Azrael feel better, or both.

            Azrael shrugged at Nire's comment.  "Had to be able to beat the bigger bullies somehow."

            "I bet we would make a kick-ass team," Nire said with approval.  She checked her watch, seeing that it was quarter after eleven.  "Anyways, I gotta go, guys.  Time for me to go beddy-bye."

            "Good night, Nire," Jander said, "and sweet dreams."

            "Talk to you later, peoples," she said before popping out of existence.

*  *  *  *  *

            It was nearing Nire's birthday, and thus Yuletide.  Nire was debating talking to Coryn about the other worlds, and bringing her to meet the guys.  This was appearing to be the first friendship Nire had that would last.  She and Coryn were tight.

            Jander had gated to Waterdeep one early evening, to the music shop.  Luckily, the flute Nire had loved so much was still there.  The shopkeeper didn't recognize him as the vampire that had fled months before, and sold him the instrument.  Jander even managed to haggle the price down to something reasonable.  During the daytime, instead of sleeping from dusk to dawn, he had been working industriously on carving a case for the flute.

            Nire, herself, had spent a goodly amount of time running around Waterdeep, trying to find gifts for everyone.  She was not good at selecting presents for people at all.  In fact, she down right sucked.  Her usual method was to go to a dollar store and buy generic items for everyone.  But she couldn't do that in these other worlds.  In the end, she decided she would buy candy from her world for everyone, but Jander, Raistlin, and Azrael.  For Azrael, she had found a stud for the piercing she had noticed was in his ear, a hole that was never filled.  As for Jander and Raistlin, she just didn't know yet.

            Wandering Waterdeep, searching for gifts for her two favorite people, she ran into various people she had been avoiding - namely, Khelben, Laeral, Danilo, and Arilyn.  They were all…interesting occurrences.  Her conversations with Khelben and Danilo were relatively okay, an exchange of pleasantries, and offers for dinner or tea some time soon, which Nire politely declined.

            The run-in with Laeral was a bit more disconcerting, because Jander happened to be with her at the time.  It was right before Halloween.  She had convinced him to come to Waterdeep with her and search for some final touches for her costume - a wizard.  She couldn't buy anything big - that would be suspicious - but she could buy accessories.

            She had convinced Jander that no one would manage to recognize him, and that he should come with her to help her find stuff.  They left Azrael at the inn he and Jander were staying at and gated to the streets of Waterdeep.

            Everything was going fine, they were having fun, and nobody was recognizing the elven vampire.  She was laughing hysterically at something he had just said, tears of mirth running down her face, as they stepped into a jewelry store to find a medallion she could wear.  Jander was smiling, something rare for him, about to say something else, as a woman came into view in front of one of the cases.

            "Hello, Nire," Laeral said when she noticed the two people who had entered the shop.

            Nire sobered up quickly and watched as the happiness quickly faded from Jander's face.  Almost automatically, he quickly fashioned a gate and disappeared.

            _Sorry Nire, _ he apologized from the inn.

            Nire glared at Laeral.  "Thanks a lot," she said sarcastically.  "He was finally in a good mood for once."

            The lady mage did not apologize.  "How are you tonight?"

            "Fine," was the short answer.  Nire spied a medallion that would work and strode over to it.  She realized that the mage had been talking to her, but she had tuned her out as she often did to people.

            "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.  What did you say?"

            "I just asked if there was anything in particular you were looking for, but you appear to have found it."  Laeral smiled at the girl.

            "Yeah.  Need accessories for a costume."  She quickly paid for the cheap object.  "See ya later.'  She walked out of the store, then behind it, going back to Jander's room in the inn.

            "This is what I got," she said, tossing the gaudy item on the bed.  "Think it's gaudy enough?"

            Jander glanced up from the intricate carvings he was detailing on a jewelry box.  "Sure."

            "I figure, if we wait until tomorrow, we can go back and finish.  'Kay?"

            Jander put down the box and his knife.  "I don't know, Nire…I mean…"

            "Come on, man.  It was a fluke.  What are the odds that two days in a row…that someone will recognize you?  I hate to disappoint you, but you're not all that remarkable."

            Nire could detect a faint, faint smile on his face, not so much a smile as Jander's own personal version of a smile.  "All right.  Tomorrow night."

            "Yippy skippy!"

            "And that is just the strangest phrase I have ever heard."  Azrael wandered into Jander's room.  "Back all ready?"  He had been slowly allowing the barriers around himself to fall as he grew to know the two friends better.   He had begun to view Nire as a little sister, which was, surprisingly, fine with her.

            "Yes indeedily doo it is, and we are."  She grinned at him.

            "_Where_ do you come up with these things?" the XP-er asked.  "Anyway, can I have some money?"

            "Why?" Jander asked.  "Don't you have your own?"

            Azrael shrugged.  "Cuz I'm hungry, and I did, but now I don't.  Even though _you_ may somehow survive without food, _we_ need to eat.  Aren't you hungry, Nire?"

            Nire, always eager to rag on Jander, said, "Starving, _and_ broke."

            Jander shook his head.  "The two of you are _awful_."  He took out his money pouch and handed Nire a handful of coins.  "I want the change back."

            Nire grinned.  "Thanks man."

            Jander picked up the box and the knife again as the two kids walked out of the room.  He had made arrangements with the owner to let the three of them have whatever they wanted for food, and let them use the kitchens after everyone else was asleep.  These arrangements basically involved money and promises on Jander's part.

            In the tavern, Azrael and Nire sat down at a table, and one of the barmaids immediately came over.  They ordered their usual, making the young woman smile at the self-assured kids.

            "Hey Nire," Azrael said cautiously, "how long have you known Jander?"

            "I dunno.  A couple years I guess.  Why?"  To Jander, she said, _Jander, he's asking questions.  What do you want me to say? _

            She felt his surprise at the fact that she had asked.  _Mortal.__  Make me seem mortal. _

            "Doesn't he seem a bit strange to you?"

            "Sure, Az, but that's just Jander.  He's strange down to the marrow of his bones."

            "Have you ever seen him eat?"

            Their food was done, and Nire waited to answer until their plates had been put in front of them and she had taken a bite of her cheeseburger.

            "Sure he eats, he just doesn't eat around you."  Or her, for that matter.  He was still extremely worried about exhibiting any vampiric behavior around her.

            "Yes, but…"

            "Trust me," Nire interrupted him.  "Jander is normal to the point of it being ridiculous.  He has his little oddities, but, my Gawd, he's boringly normal."

            Azrael nodded.  "Are you shitting me or giving my the straight up?"  That was a phrase he had picked up from Nire.

            "Straight as an arrow shot from an elven bow."  A moment of sadness passed invisibly over Nire when she realized just how easily lying came to her.

            Azrael nodded again and they fell to their meals, eating with the gusto that only the young could manage.

            So, that was one of the more interesting meetings with Laeral.  When she happened to bump into, literally, Arilyn, she was all alone.  She was walking backwards down the street, skillfully avoiding the people, when someone stepped out of a door, and Nire backed right into her.  The person fell down, and Nire stumbled back a couple steps, missing the person's hands by a few millimeters.

            "Sorry," Nire said automatically.  Then she realized whom she had run over.  "Hey Arilyn."

            She offered the half-elf a hand up, but was ignored.  "Watch where you're going, next time," came the hostile response.

            "Touché.  I suppose I shall.  Have a nice day."  Nire used the techniques she had been working on to disappear into the people on the street.  The next time she saw Arilyn was in a small-weapons shop.  She was looking at daggers out of boredom, sick of shopping, but not wanting to see people she knew again.

            "Nire."  It was a greeting of noticement, nothing else.

            Talking to Nire when she was in a semi-bad mood, as she was now, was never a good thing.  "Arilyn."  It was the same type of greeting, but Nire continued on.  "If you're talking to me just so you can make comments about my choice in friends, try to put me down, make snide remarks, or be cruel in any other way, don't bother.  Close your pretty little mouth right now and walk away."

            Nire watched the half-elf's blue eyes go steely and her face harden into an uncompromising mask.  "What do you expect?" Arilyn started.

            "No.  Don't even start.  This had been a _really_ bad day.  Do not bullshit me right now."  She fixed Arilyn with a glare.  "I can read almost every single thought that goes across your face."  And this was true, having lots of practice with Jander and Azrael and Raistlin.  "Shall I address some of them right now?  Let's see…You're wondering if I'm still wandering the road with him, and the answer is, yes.  You want to know how I can stand to be around such evil, and I reply, because he's not.  Now you wonder if I'm one of them." Nire paused to laugh at that.  "That is the dumbest question I have ever seen.  You see, vampires don't grow.  No sane nosferatu would bring across a child, no matter what the circumstances.  Now you're wondering what sort of bug is up my ass, and if I'm using telepathy on you.  To the telepathy, the answer is no, I don't need to.

            "And as for the bug up my ass, I'll tell you what's happened.  I got three hours of sleep last night, the had to spend almost seven hours surrounded by people who hate me.  I get home, and my sister's being a complete and total bitch to me.  My parents are both on her side; as usual we get in a screaming match, and guess which kid gets sent to her room?  That's right, me.  I come here, and Jander is too busy to talk to me.  Everybody seems to be too damn busy, or in a bad mood, and no, I don't want to be taking any bullshit form you and your damn high-and-mighty attitude."

            Nire waited for a response, but there was none forthcoming.  "What?  Finally speechless?"

            Arilyn sighed.  "Look kid, let's call a truce, okay?  This is getting stupid."

            "Well, duh, but you didn't seem to see that before."

            "Fine.  I wave the white flag.  All insults stop now.  Deal?"

            "Deal," Nire said cautiously and shook the proffered hand.

            So now, four days before Nire's birthday, December 11th in her world, Arilyn and Nire were having a wary truce.  Nire dragged Azrael with her back to Waterdeep.

            "Az, you gotta come with me.  I suck at picking out presents for people.  C'mon.  Please?"

            Azrael sighed and shook his head.  "Fine.  Only for a little while, okay?  An hour at the most."

            "Fine.  Just help me find something.  I've only got a couple more days."

            And thus they wandered, searching futilely.  Azrael had to admit; it _was_ difficult to find something for the distant elf.  They came up empty-handed two hours later.  Nothing seemed right to either of them, so they returned.  It wasn't that cold, and there was no snow, so they were on the road again.

            Jander wasn't there, and Azrael set about making his own supper.  Nire 'listened' for Jander, to see what he was doing.  She found that he wasn't hunting, he had already fed.  That showed as a feeling of full contentment.  He was standing somewhere, enjoying the landscape.

            "Hey Az, I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

            'Yeah, sure, whatever."

            Nire slipped into the forest, following the 'feel' of Jander.  The easiest way to find something for the elven vampire was to ask him.  She walked as quiet as she could, which was silent to a human, slightly noisier to an elf, and obvious to a vampire.  So he knew that she was coming, and knew it was her.

            "Hi Nire," he said when she found him.  There was an aura of sadness around him, more noticeable than it usually was.  Nire was immediately glad she had come.

            "Hey," she said, moving forward to stand next to him.  "What are you looking at?"

            "Just…I don't know.  Nothing, I guess.'

            Nire nodded.  "Yeah, I understand."

            They stood silently for a little bit.  Nire was planning o springing her question on him, knowing that he would answer truthfully out of surprise.

            After waiting what she judged to be a suitable amount of time, she said, "What do you want more than anything else in the world for Yule?" (A/N: I don't know if that's the right term for the winter holiday in Faerûn, but I'm going to use it anyway.)

            Without thinking, he said quietly, sadly, "To be mortal again."  His eyes widened when he realized what he had said.  That was his deepest secret, his fondest wish.  To have said it out loud seemed to make it dirty, to sully it.

            "Let's concentrate on something I can get within the tenday."

            "Don't even jest about something like that," he said severely, to her intimation that it might be possible.

            "How do you know I'm not serious?" she said with a grin.

            "Nire," he growled warningly.

            "Okay, okay, I give.  I'm sorry." She wasn't about to get into a fight over something so stupid.  But she would definitely talk to Raistlin about this.  There had to be something…

            She took a gamble and asked a question.  "But is it really mortality you want, or to be rid of the…downsides of being a vampire?"

            Jander looked her up and down, trying to decide if she was being serious, and really wanted to know. Judging that she was, he responded, "Mortal."

            "Would you mind if I asked why?  I mean, you don't _have_ to answer, but…" She looked up at him, showing clear interest, but no sympathy or pity.  That would have angered him.

            Jander studied her again.  Nire was slowly changing, becoming more friendly.  Each new little thing surprised him even more.  He decided to answer her, to encourage this new thing that was happening.

            "Because I'm sick of seeing my friends die.  I'll have to watch you grow old and die, the same with Azrael, and many more people to come."

            "Yeah but, you'd have to anyways.  I mean, you're an elf, and we're all human.  _Most_ of your friends are human.  Oh, Jesus.'  Now Nire's eyes showed sadness.  "For once, I'm glad of being one of the short-lived races.'

            Jander twitched his lips in a wistful, quick half-smile.  He had never thought of that point.  Just that one comment made him rethink his whole view of immortality.  If he didn't have the vampiric downsides, as Nire termed it, immortality might be kind of fun.  _Just imagine everything I could do_, he thought briefly.  But then he was back in his deep blue funk.

            "I don't know, Nire.  I just don't know anymore.  Thank you for messing up my nice strong views."

            "Hey man," Nire said gently, surprisingly so for her.  "Whatever it is, it will be all right.'

            She gave him a one-armed hug.  Nire knew what people needed; she just never gave it to them, because nobody would give it to her.  That's what Jander needed right then, and Nire made an exception and hugged him.  Inside, Jander smiled at this.  Being around Nire was sort of like being around a dog that had been beaten, and teaching it to trust humanoids again.  And it gave him the most satisfied feeling every time she did something like that.

            "Yes, little one, I suppose it shall.  I suppose it shall."  He ruffled her hair a little, and she didn't pull away from under his hand.  She was one step closer to trusting people again.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

****

Disclaimer:  I hate these things.  See previous disclaimers.

            It was December 15th, Nire's birthday, and her birthday party.  She had invited, maybe, four people, and, of course, Coryn.  Out of the four people, only Caitlin could come.  Caitlin and Coryn were supposed to be there.  Caitlin arrived, and the two sixth-graders waited patiently for the third to show up.  After fifteen minutes, they got bored and went to the basement to play until Coryn came.  Out of all of her 'friends' (acquaintances was more the right word), Caitlin was the one she liked the least.  The girl was boring as hell and ignorant.  But, Caitlin was better than nothing.

            It got to be an hour later, time for cake.  Nire decided to call Coryn, to see if she had forgotten.

            "Oh, hi Nire," Coryn's mother said when she picked up the phone.  "No, Coryn's not here right now.  She went out with Heather about an hour ago.  They'll be back around eight.  Do you want me to have her call you back when she gets in?"

            "Nah.  Thanks anyway.  Bye.'  Nire hung up the phone and glared at it for a few seconds, then turned to Caitlin.  "Looks like it's just us."

            This was shaping up to be the worst birthday ever.  Caitlin left an hour after the phone call, and Nire couldn't have been gladder.  Her first thought was to go talk to Jander, but she knew he would still be sound asleep.  She told her parents she was going for a walk in the woods, and high-tailed it out of there.  They were used to her hanging out there for long periods of time by now.  She went down to the little campsite her brother had made when he was a kid and changed into the clothes she had carried down invisibly.  Then she gated to Raistlin's tower.

            "Happy birthday!" the red mage said as he saw her.  He detected something a bit off about her attitude, but couldn't really be sure, it being Nire.  "Do you want to go visit my brother?  I think he and Tanis are planning some sort of party…"

            "Sure, why not."  After that, she added in a voice too low for Raistlin to hear, "This day can't get any worse, can it?"

            "What?" Raistlin asked as he made a gate.

            "Nothing.  Nothing important."

            Raistlin was right.  They were planning a mini-party at the tavern in Solace.  They guys bought her an entire meal, of whatever she wanted.  Usually they set some sort of price limit, but not tonight.  The strange thing was that Nire barely took advantage of it.  Raistlin wondered for a moment if something bad had happened, but decided it was just Nire being Nire.  After they were done eating, Tika brought a cake out from the kitchen with twelve brightly sparkling candles on it.  They sand her the Krynnian version of 'Happy Birthday', which was, in Nire's opinion, a hundred times better than the English one.  Everybody had a piece, Caramon and Flint had two.  Then the dishes were swept away, and the presents were piled on the table.

            Nire picked up a small, wrapped sphere from Tas first.  Unwrapping it, she grinned.  IT was a clear globe with lights inside that swirled around in smoky patterns.  It was the coolest thing she had ever seen.  "Thanks Tas.  This is awesome!"  Tanis had gotten her a music box, Flint had made her a polished wooden dragon rampant, Caramon had managed to find a supple leather weapons belt, fit for multiple knives, and perfect to fit under her pants.  In other words, hidden weapons.  Raistlin had made her a spellbook of healing spells and random magic.

            Nire smiled, a genuine smile.  "Thanks guys.  You're the greatest.  I don't know what I would do without you.  I love everything.

            She stayed for a little while longer, chatting and talking.  But, she soon said that she had to leave, that her parents would be worried.  In fact, they would.  She left with her pile and went to an alley.  First she gated home, and then she changed and made her pile of gifts and clothes invisible.  Then she walked up the short path to her house, saying she was going to bed.  She shut her door, changed back, and contacted Jander.

            _Hi little one.__  Happy birthday. _

            _Hi._ Nire had dropped the happy façade she had worn visiting Krynn.  _Can I come hang with you guys for a couple hours? _

            Jander heard the need in her mental tone.  _Sure, kiddo.__  Want me to gate you here? _

            _Yeah._ She had shoved everything under her bed.  Sensing where the gate formed, actually able to see the blue outline that she now knew no one else could see, she walked over and stepped through.  She was in another in, in another room.  Azrael and Jander had reached another town, apparently.

            "Hi little one.  How has your day been?"

            "Each day of my life is worse than the one before."  She paused.  "I guess it was okay."

            That was a lie, and Jander knew it, but he didn't press the issue.  That would just make her day worse, because she would end up getting in a fight with him.  Or maybe he was thinking too highly of how she viewed him.  "How much cake have you eaten today?"

            Nire grimaced.  She loved sweet stuff, but…enough was enough.  "Too much."

            Jander smiled an easy smile.  He had figured that.  "So you're just here to collect whatever gifts we happen to have and go home?" he gently teased her.

            Nire didn't seem to notice the lilt in his voice that was always present when he was being a tease.  "Sometimes I question where my real home is," she said, her eyes dark.  "I need to hang around some normal people for a while, so I came here."

            "Ah, 'tis a sad day when I am considered 'normal', little one."

            "Yeah.  For the rest of the world.  Shoes you just how sucky my world really is.'

            "Seeing as how it's your birthday," Jander said, changing the subject, "what do you want to do?"

            "Nothing," she immediately said.  That was not strictly true - she didn't want to do anything physically.  What she wanted to was to bask in the feeling of safety and trust that she tended to feel around Jander.  A feeling that she realized was dangerous.  "You don't even have to notice me.  In fact, don't."

            "Why not?" he asked, hoping she would answer.  Nire was an enigma.

            "Because…I…_Because_!"

            "Okay, Nire, okay.  You know you don't have to answer anything I ask."

            "I know, sorry I snapped at you.  I know that this is supposed to be a happy day for me, but it hasn't, so cut me some slack."

            Jander eyes Nire, testing her sincerity.  Finally, he patter the bed, and said, "Come sit down, and I will ignore you as hard as I can.  However, when Azrael gets back, I can't vouch for him."

            Nire sat down at the very end of his bed and lay back, stretching across it.  AS Jander glanced at her before he picked up the particular carving he was working on, he realized with a start that his little one was growing up.  She may have never been a child in mind, but now her body was catching up.  If she hadn't been so overweight, she would have actually been quite pretty.  In fact, Jander wasn't sure if she _wasn't_ pretty.  She cracked open one eye to look at him.

            "Ignoring me means not looking at me, genius."

            Jander smiled a boyish smile.  "Sorry, little one.  But I just realized how old you're getting, that next year you'll be an evil teenager."

            "As if I'm not evil enough now."  She fell silent, and Jander did as he promised and ignored her.

            Before Azrael got back from wherever the teen was, he had gotten bored of etching out the delicate features from the block of wood.  He watched Nire out of the corner of his eye.  Her eyes were still closed, her breathing was deep and even, but she wasn't asleep.  Nor was she meditating.  She was merely…existing.  He kicked off one boot, letting it thump to the floor.  Nire didn't respond at all, so he paused.  Then she started to stiffen, to tense up almost imperceptibly.

            Jander ginned as he realized that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, literally.  He obliged her by letting it thump to the floor.  He wiggled his bare toes, and glanced at Nire prospectively.  She wasn't noticing anything, her eyes still closed, so he swung his legs up and settled his feet gently on her stomach.  Then he leaned back, resting his head on his pillow, and left his eyes cracked open only wide enough so he could see Nire.

            Nire tried to ignore him, and succeeded for a good twenty minutes.  Jander was almost about to move when she said, "There any particular reason your feet are on my stomach?"  She paused, waiting for the answer he wasn't going to give.  "Hello…?  Did you fall asleep…?  Are you going to answer me…?"

            "How am I supposed to ignore you if you keep talking."  His voice grinned.  "You're breaking your own rules."

            Nire was quiet for a moment.  "Your feet smell."

            "No they don't.'

            "How do you know?"

            "Feet need sweat to smell."  He wiggled his toes.

            "So?  You are so infuriatingly practical some times."  She swung her body around and scooted up so she was lying next to him crossing her arms over her stomach.  "I'm gonna have to go home soon.  How long 'till Az gets back from wherever?"

            "I don't know, little one."  Azrael knew that the two of them were telepathic, but they didn't advertise it by contacting him at a time like this through their powers.  Nire still wasn't sure if she wanted to bring him into her little telepathic fold or not.

            As if one cue, Azrael knocked and walked in.  "Hey is- okay, that answers my question.  Hey Nire."

            "We're supposed to be pretending she's not here," Jander chimed in before Nire could respond.

            "Shut up," the girl said.  "Hey Az."

            "Happy birthday Nire."  He held out a wrapped box.  "Here ya go."

            "Thanks, Az."  She sat up, crossing her legs Indian style.  "What is it?"

            "You have to open it to find out, genius.'  Az sat on the very end of the bed.

            Nire's eyes flicked quickly to Jander and back to the box in front of her.  She wondered if he had gotten her anything, and the thought that he hadn't cared enough actually hurt, and that surprised her.  Unwrapping it, she found a box.  And inside this box, was a snow globe.  Inside the globe part was a tower.  Clouds swirled around the tip of it.  When Nire shook it up, the clouds turned from dark to light pastels, and white flakes rained down.  Nire lived it.

            "This is awesome, Az.  Man, you guys have all been great."  She shook it up again and watched the snow rain down.  "Sweet…"

            Azrael could tell by the look on her face, a rare, open look, that she truly liked it.  Jander decided not to give Nire his gift yet, that he shouldn't try to follow that, even though Azrael gave him a clear Look.

            "Did you eat yet?" Jander asked her.

            "Yeah.  Sorry man.'

            "You have left absolutely nothing we can do for you for your birthday."

            Nire grinned at the irony of it.  "That's okay.  Just you two being you two is enough."  Nire lay back next to Jander again, shaking up the globe and setting it on her stomach to watch it.

            Jander heard a random thought from Nire very clearly right then.  _The best present either of them could give me is to make me feel, just for two hours, like I'm loved, like I belong somewhere. _  He knew that he shouldn't have been able to hear that; that she hadn't meant for it to get past her shields.  But the little slip showed just how badly she wanted it.

            Jander wished dearly to know what had happened to her that day, what someone had done to her.  Whatever it was, he felt as though it had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

            "Ah, little one," he sighed.  "If there is nothing we can do for you, then all we can offer is for you to bask in the glow of our friendship."

            Nire ginned.  "Okay, man.  That's all I ask for tonight."

            Jander half-smiled at her, as Azrael said, "So, what, are you two just going to lay there all night?"

            "And enjoy each other's company," Jander told him, sliding an arm under the newly turned twelve-year-old's head, as a father would.

            "If I happen to fall asleep, wake me up before dawn so I can go home," Nire said.  Jander had been afraid that she would reject the gesture of friendship and comfort for whatever had happened, but she merely moved around a bit to make herself more comfortable.

            "You guys are so boring," Azrael said, rolling his eyes and standing up.  But both Nire and Jander could see the look of envy in his eyes, envy of the family bond she and Jander seemed to share, envy of their closeness.

            "There's room for you, too," Nire said as she and Jander slid over, so she would be in the middle.

            "Boring."  Now he was being stubborn, for no reason at all.

            "Suit yourself," Nire said, like she and Jander knew something he didn't.

            Azrael stood, the indecision clearly written on his face.  What Jander and Nire had now was something he had wanted all of his life, and never gotten.  People were afraid to touch 'the vampire-boy', unless they were hurting him.  Nire and Jander had been a frightening change, offering him friendship and no pain.  He still wasn't sure he totally trusted them.

            In the end, he walked around, kicked off his boot, and gingerly lay down on the far-far edge, trying not to touch Nire.  Nire and Jander silently took bets on how long her would last.

            Nire, the three of them, were quiet for a little while.  Finally, she said, "Man, today _bit_!"  There was no response, just patient waiting.  "I mean, Jesus, the fates have it in for me."  Nire would guess that it was about ten o'clock at night, and yet, she was already tired.  She yawned.  "All of one person came to my birthday party, the one person I liked the least, my parents got me the kind of cake I hated so my sister would eat it, too, I got shitty gifts from everyone on Earth.  My best friend told me she was coming, then never showed.  It seems that the fates hate me."  She sighed.

            Jander wasn't going to push his luck on the touching issue, so he lay still next to the girl.  "One bad birthday out of twelve, with many more coming, isn't that bad, little one.  I know that's not the response you're looking for, but…"

            "That's okay, man.  That's more sympathy than I expected to get."

            Jander had learned to read Nire as best he could.  Right now, he would assume that the betrayal of her friends, which was how she saw it, was causing her to begin to doubt her trust in people.  He glanced over at the two children.  They were so similar - drawing away from everyone as a safety mechanism.  Azrael was at the very edge of the bed, not quite belonging.  He stayed merely for fear of missing something interesting.  Jander opened his mind a little, hoping it would work.  He let the friendship he felt for the two of them flow through.  Nire smiled peacefully, but he caught the flash of mistrust in her eyes.  Azrael, on the other hand, looked shell-shocked.  Jander quickly realized that the teen had probably not believed that they didn't have an ulterior motive in allowing him to come along.  But he watched as Azrael began to slowly relax, become part of the group.  
            Within fifteen minutes, Nire had fallen asleep.  Jander tamped down on the telepathic sending, and slowly closed his mind.  He made eye contact with Azrael, seeing as how they were both wide-awake.  To them, it wasn't even noon.  He nodded his head towards the door, and slowly began trying to reclaim his arm.  Azrael quietly got up on the other side.  But Jander knew the instant that her breathing slightly increased and her heart rate sped up that they hadn't been able to pull it off.  She didn't open her eyes, however, feigning sleep.

            "Sweet dreams, little one.  I'll wake you up again before dawn."  He gently caressed the top of her head as a loving parent would, and left with Azrael.

            When Nire heard the door close behind them, she opened one eye and inhaled the scent of Jander that was on the bed.  She did not realize it, but, to her, that was slowly becoming the smell of home.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander woke Nire up exactly when she wanted to be woken up.  He knew that she had really woken up the instant he had set foot in the room.  She was scarily good at that.

            "You told me to wake you up, little one.  And I still have to give you your birthday present."

            "You can keep the whatever it is if you let me have ten more minutes of sleep," she grumbled.

            "You can have both," he said, turning to leave.

            "No, I'm awake."  She sat up and rubbed an arm across her eyes.  Her hair was all psychotic from sleep, wild and sticking up.  She finger-combed it relatively flat, as flat as curly hair could go.  "Damn, I wish I could stay here, but I got freakin' school to go to and asshole friends to yell at."

            "Well, little one, this might make you happier."  He pulled out an intricately carved box from his pack, and handed it to Nire.

            She admired the box a bit before opening it, wondering what was inside.  It was hinged, and actually looked sort of like an instrument case.  She opened it, and stopped in shock when she saw the flute.

            "Oh my God…" she whispered, reaching out to stroke the polished wood of the instrument she had admired so much in the music shoppe.  "Oh my God, oh my God, you just so totally made my day.  Oh my God."  She jumped up and hugged him.  "This has got to be the best thing I've gotten in years."

            "You're very welcome, little one," he said, returning the surprising hug.

            She backed away and picked up the flute, running a scale.  The notes were just as sweet as she remembered, just as much of a joy to play.  She played a couple bars of 'Fur Elise'.  Then she carefully wiped off the embouchure and put it back."

            "What would I do without friends like you?" she asked rhetorically.

            "Shrivel up and die from neglect, little one," Jander said with joking eyes.  "Are you ready to go home?"

            "No," she replied matter-of-factly, "but I guess I have to anyways.  Tell Az I said bye."

            "Okay.  I'll make the gate for you, little one."

            Nire nodded her thanks, grabbed her new flute and the snow globe from Azrael.  Then she stepped through the gate and Jander closed it behind her.  Azrael had already gone to bed, and now Jander was doing the same.  His bed smelled of the peculiar scent of Nire - cleaner than most people of his world, vanilla, and almonds.  He felt strangely comforted by the scent - it gave him a feeling that someday, everything would be all right.  For the first time in a long time, Jander fell asleep with a smile on his face.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Hey Coryn."  Nire slid into the desk next to her 'best friend'.

            "Hi Nire," came the soft reply.  Coryn barely ever spoke above a whisper.

            "How come you didn't come to my birthday part?" That was Nire, blunt as ever.

            "When was it?"

            Nire could have screamed.  "Yesterday.  Remember, you said you'd come.  Ring any bells?"

            "I'm sorry, I forgot.  Oh well."

            Nire shook her head.  "Whatever."  She picked up her books and moved to another seat farther away.  Being friends with Jander had made her soft, made her a fool.  Coryn had just reminded her why she never had friends for more than a couple months, why she always pushed them away after that time period.  In the end, people you trust would just hurt you.  It was human nature.

            Coryn had been the straw that broke the camel's back.  When she had come back to school, all of her fifth grade friends had ignored her.  Sixth graders were just plain cruel, and it was worse than last year.  Nire knew that it was now time to begin drawing away from her off-world friends.  She was long overdue for betrayal, and, hopefully, she could pull away before someone did that.

            To her, Raistlin and Jander had seemed extremely vulnerable for adults.  It brought down her guard, had taken down the metal-and-stone wall piece by piece.  Now it was time to rebuild the walls and barricades, and to pull back from everyone for a while.  Nire's self-preservation instinct was kicking into overdrive.

            Nire immediately began to act upon her realization.  She could not count the number of betrayals she had suffered, and could not guess at the number that was to come.  But she would prevent these.  She slowly began drawing herself back from Flint, Tanis, Tas, Caramon, Raistlin, Gar, Alea, Azrael, and Jander.  She did it subtly, so as not to inflict the pain on others that had been inflicted upon her.  She thought she did a good job, and they did not notice what was happening…

            She was sort of correct.  Out of the nine people, three realized what was happening - Jander, Raistlin, and Azrael.  The three went over things they possible could have done to anger her, to put her off, and all came up empty.  It was barely noticeable at Yuletide, but after that, the process began to speed up.  By New Years', Jander was considering talking to her.  By halfway through the month, he decided to go speak with Raistlin.

            Jander had basically avoided the red mage since he had found out the vampire's secret.  Truthfully, Jander did not trust the mage of the mage's magic.  But he was more concerned about Nire.  He knew that she was slightly suicidal, and, plus, he enjoyed her company and he missed her.

            _Raistlin?_ he asked tentatively.

            _I need to talk to you, _ was the immediate reply.

            _About Nire?_ It was a common agreement to use Krynnian when talking between Krynnians and people of Faerûn.

            _Then it's not just me?  Gate to here. _ Raistlin sent an image of a room.

            Slightly mistrustful, Jander gated to the room.  There were no traps waiting for him, and he felt a bit foolish for his paranoia.

            "Does it feel like she's drawing away?" he immediately asked.

            Raistlin nodded gravely.  "What do you know about it?  Anything?  She won't talk."

            "Bits and pieces from reading between the lines.  Something happened at her birthday part at her home - I think her best friend didn't come."

            "But she was fine when she came here for our party."  Raistlin was puzzled.  Usually, he could at least guess at Nire's moods.

            "She wasn't when she came to me and Az.  You know how Nire is when she's had a really bad day?"  Raistlin nodded.  "Well, she was like that, except… It was if she knew that this was the last time she would have any sort of…closeness.  Like, for one night, all her defenses were down."

            "I've been working for years on getting her to open up just the tiniest bit," Raistlin said.  "And, I've been making progress.  You've seen how she is around me.  And I've watched her on the rare occasions you've been here.  You've gotten much farther than me.  And now…"

            "It's like she doesn't see all the good things about her."  Jander ran a hand through his golden hair.  "Do you know what I mean?  It's like she doesn't see how intelligent and bright she is, and that's what we value.  The gods know I can't afford to lose any of my friends, no matter the ages," he added softly.

            "What if both of us sat her down for a nice, long talk, separately, and see if that brings her to her senses."

            "Then report back to the other?  Combine our resources?"

            "Sweet deal," Raistlin said, and then grinned.  "Great, now I'm picking up phrases from Nire.  Will wonders ever cease."

            "Thank you Raistlin.  Thank you a hundred times over."

            " 'Till we meet again."

            Jander stepped back to his room in the in he and Azrael were currently staying at, to find the boy sitting in a chair.  He jumped slightly when Jander appeared.

            "Hi Azrael," he said, wondering what the teen could want.

            "Hey.  Can I talk to you?"

            "Sure."  Jander sat down on the end of the bed.  Azrael had become, to Jander, almost as much of family as Nire was.  He wasn't sure how close Azrael thought they were, though.  He had the feeling the teen still felt as though he didn't quite belong.

            "Two things.  First of all, can I have some money to buy this really cool Mnematoad named Herman down at the bar?"

            Jander looked confused.  "What?"

            Azrael was just as puzzled.  "I don't really know.  That just popped out of my mouth."

            A voice from the sky caused their heads to turn towards the ceiling.  "Sorry about that, guys.  I am the great and powerful Author.  My friend wanted me to put something in about an Mnematoad named Herman.  What the hell is an Mnematoad, anyways?  Okay, continue your conversation.'

            Azrael and Jander looked at each other and shrugged.  Then the voice from the sky came again.  "Oh yeah, I forgot.  Herman likes to eat chocolate éclairs.  Sorry.  Continue."

            "_If_ you're finished," Azrael said with a glare to the ceiling.  When no words came again, he continued.  "First of al, do you know what's up with Nire?  She's like… I don't know."  Azrael had difficulty expressing his feelings and thoughts out loud sometimes, after living for so long alone.  "Did she tell you if I did something to make her mad?" he finally asked.

            Jander shrugged.  "She's been acting odd to everyone.  I went to talk to one of her other friends, and he agreed with me.  Don't worry, my friend, I doubt it's something you, or I, have done.  Raistlin and I will try to pry some definitive answer out of her.  Okay?"

            Azrael nodded.  He was not forthcoming with his second question, so Jander prompted him with a, "Well?  What's your other question?  Or did you forget?"  He slightly smiled.

            Azrael shook his head and twisted his hands nervously.  If he was right… Did he even really want to know?  But if he did not ask, then he would always wonder.  But if he was right… There had to be some way to put this…

            "What are you?" he finally asked bluntly.

            "An elf," Jander tried.  All of a sudden, there was a ball of lead in the pit of his stomach.  Truthfully, he was dreading this conversation.  There was no way it could end well.  There weren't that many people like Nire in the world, and the odds of Azrael being as understanding…slim to none.

            "Are you really," Azrael said, his inherent mistrust of everyone flaring.  "You don't walk like an elf, you don't eat, you sleep during the day for no apparent reason, you're pale pretty much all the time.  What's up?  What am I traveling with?"

            All of the happiness, the feelings that nobody noticed but Nire until they were gone, slowly leached from his face, leaving it grim and sad.  If Azrael looked closely, he could see the weight of centuries in Jander's eyes.

            "What do you think I am, Azrael?" Jander asked quietly.

            Azrael stared, transfixed by the look of masked pain on Jander's face.  "I…" He almost regretted that he had brought this up.  "A…a vampire?"  Azrael watched as a look of sadness and pain flahsed across Jadner's face, only to be quickly hidden as the elven vampre slowly nodded his head.

            "Yes." His voice dripped with derision and self-contempt.  "That is the beast that I am."  He waited for a reaction; only slightly curious as to what it would be this time.  There was only so many times you could watch people react before you had seen them all, and they were no longer interesting.

            He immediately felt the fear in Azrael spike to the max, then slowly begin to fade.  "Holy shit, I was right?  Not just paranoid?  Good gods."

            Azrael was talking to himself, not to Jander, although that was where he was looking.  Jander had to put out some reassurances.  He couldn't just…

            "Look, Azrael, listen to me, please.  I swear, you're in no danger from me.  I don't drink human blood anymore.  I…" Jander shook his head.  This was stupid and pointless.  "Never mind.  Take half the money out of my money pouch - or all of it, I don't care.  I'm sure you can find someone else to travel with."

            Interestingly enough, Jander smelled Azrael's fear levels spike again.  "What?  You're kicking me out?  Or…well, whatever you would call it."  Hurt flashed through the teen's eyes.

            Jander's mouth literally dropped open.  "Well, no, not if you don't… What?" He ran a hand through his golden locks and studied Azrael more closely.  The look in the teen's eyes clearly said, 'I don't want to be alone again'.  "I just assumed that… Are you telling me that being alone scares you more than me being a vampire?'

            Azrael dropped his eyes for a second, then stared defiantly back at Jander's silver robs.  "Yeah, it does.  So?"

            Jander just sighed and shook his head.  "Humans," he muttered.

            Azrael was used to Jander's sudden mood swings by now.  "Are you really a vampire?"  His fear shone in his eyes for a second.  Azrael flipped between topics almost as fast as Nire did.

            "What do you want?" Jander asked more harshly than he intended.  "Proof?  Do you want proof?"

            Azrael flinched, but said, "Yes, I do."

            Jander let his fangs slide down and turned his eyes.  Then he bared his fangs and hissed at Azrael.  Was he overdoing it?  Yes.  Did he care right now?  No.  Would he car later?  Yes.  Azrael jumped up in surprised and knocked over his chair, his heart rate escalating and fear spiking.  Immediately regretful, Jander turned away and closed his eyes, bringing the beast back under control.  When he turned back, Azrael was standing behind the righted chair.

            Suddenly tired, it could be heard in Jander's voice as he said, "Go ahead.  Run out of the room, go alert everyone else that there's evil here."  The weight of centuries was weighing down on his shoulders.  He never realized how much he valued those around them, their support of him, until he knew he was about to lose them.  He dropped his face to his hands and waited.  But the heartbeat didn't fade, and he heard Azrael sit back down.

            "Know what?  I think you're just as afraid of being alone again as I am."

            Before Jander could come up with a suitable response, he felt magic behind him.  Immediately whirling around, he felt foolish when he saw a tired and angry Nire standing in her pajamas behind him.

            "What the fuck is going on here?  The fucking emotions coming off the two of you woke me up in _my world_.  Whatever it is _QUIT IT NOW!"  She was gone before they could respond._

            Jander looked at Azrael.  That was the first time they had soon Nire in a week, and it was disconcerting.  "Let's call a truce until Nire's in a better moor, okay?"

            "Yeah," Azrael agreed.  "For such a little kid, she sure as hell is scary when she's mad."  Azrael paused as Jander nodded.  "You're not just going to leave me here, are you?  Because I know?"

            Jander smiled a genuine smiled.  "No, Az, I wouldn't do that to you.'  It heartened Jander that Azrael was more worried about that than the other issue.  It was also sad.  Jander bid the child good night, even though it wasn't even midnight, but didn't get out of the chair before Azrael was gone.

*  *  *  *  *

            Azrael and Jander's relationships became slightly strained for a few days.  Jander knew very well that Azrael was scared, scared of all the legends.  But Jander did everything he cold to prove he was harmless.  Jander wished he could talk to Nire, but she was now standoffish most of the time.  It made discussion difficult.

            The two pretty much avoided each other for a few days.  Azrael needed time to come to terms with the fact that one of his two friends was a vampire - the quintessence of evil - and yet he wasn't all that bad.  Jander just didn't want to see or smell the fear, because it hurt him emotionally, and the gods knew he didn't need any more emotional pain.  Within five days, however, things were almost back to normal.  Azrael was still a little jumpy, but he accepted Jander at face value.  After weighing the actions against the legend, Az came to the right decision and decided the actions weighed more, which was very mature for the now-sixteen-year-old.  The smell of fear hadn't gone away yet, not at all, but Jander was sure it eventually would.  If Azrael was going to continue traveling with him, it would have to.

            Jander, quite frankly, was amazed that Azrael had chosen to stay.  If he had been in the boy's place, he could not say that he would have.  The human race constantly amazed him.  Usually, it was their brutality and ruthlessness, but every once in a while, a brief light of compassion shone through.

            Now, all Jander had left to do was to talk to Nire…


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

****

Disclaimer:  Yada yada yada.  _No soup for you!_  Blah blah blah.  _Adios, muchacho!_  Happy Festivus, everyone!

****

            "We need to talk."

            "O-kay…"

            Jander was 'enjoying' one of Nire's increasingly rare visits, a couple of day after Azrael had discovered his secret.  Her first visit in almost a week.  Jander had learned early on in this change not to visit her anymore, that she would usually be in a bad mood.  As soon as she appeared, he brought up the issue.

            "Little one-"

            It was an attempt to soften her up, but it didn't work.  "Don't call me that!" she snapped.  "My _name is Nire."_

            "S-sorry," he stuttered, surprised.  She had _always let him call her little one, had seemed to like it.  It was a tiny connection to him that she had that was slightly stronger than to the others.  He wondered why this bothered him so much, but quickly pinned the reason.  Nire was the first mortal to totally trust him, no secrets, for a __long time.  To top it all off, she was a child, innocent…_

            "What did you want to talk about?"  Nire's voice broke him out of his reverie.

            "What's wrong, Nire?"

            "Nothing.  Why?"

            "There has to be something amiss, l- Nire."

            "Well, there's _not."_

            "Nire, you're drawing away from everyone.  I've noticed, Azrael's noticed, Raistlin noticed.  What have we done?"

            "I am not, and nothing.  God, what is up with you people?  Raistlin's already _tried to have this conversation with me.'_

            "Cut the bullshit, Nire.  At least tell one of us, just so we know.  Please."  It really bugged him that he didn't know, that nobody could tell him because nobody knew, because Nire didn't talk to anyone.

            "Fine.  You really want to know?  Do you _really?  You know, being around the three of you, it really fucked me up.  You guys pretend to be my friend extremely well."  Jander wisely kept his mouth shut.  "All my defenses…" She shook her head in derision.  "Well, I was reminded of the lesson life has to teach us all.  People… you can't trust them.  The only thing anyone knows how to do I hurt others before others hurt them.  I'm not a fool.  I'm not going to get involved and patiently wait for you guys to burn me.  I'll slowly pull away, and it's been working."_

            "Li- Nire, we wouldn't…"

            "Don't fuck with my.  If I can't trust people my own age… You and Raistlin are adults, as is four years older than me.  To the three of you, I'm just this little kid you put up with.  One day, that will end.  It does, every time.  Trust me, nothing has ever gone my way, not in this lifetime.  I'm the person everybody comes to when they're in trouble, and then dumps when their old friends take them back.  I'm the one that you drop out of contact with when you move.  My class has never had anything fun, but Kerry's gets all the luck.  This will eventually turn on me, too.  As soon as you find someone else who will accept you, knowing what you are, you don't need me anymore.  As soon as Raistlin finds a wife and has a daughter of his own, or finds a new student to tutor, I won't be needed.  As soon as Az finds a real family, I'll be dumped by the wayside.  Just because I've grown used to it doesn't mean I'll allow it to happen.

            Listening to her, Jander was saddened by the fact that someone so young could be so jaded.  "Nire, we would never do that to you."  Jander could understand why she didn't trust him.  Who would?  But the other two were perfectly trustworthy.  "Nire… A couple years ago, I took this big gamble.  This little girl was offering me…well, possibly offering my friendship, even knowing what I am.  Children…they have the greatest capacity for love and kindness.  But, they also have the greatest capacity for cruelty and evil.  And yet, I took the chance, and was rewarded with one of the best friends of my life.

            "Not every person you meet is going to hurt you, Nire.  I have at least a little inkling of how you feel.  Once in a while, you'll hit on someone who's different."

            "Yeah, right," she interrupted.  "Maybe once in a lifetime.  Do you _know how different you are from me?  You're charismatic, good-looking, friendly…and I'm the opposite."_

            "Yes, but once someone gets past the cold exterior, they find a caring, intelligent person.  That counts for more in the world."

            "Jesus, Jander!  What rock have you been living under?  That counts for _shit in the real world!  Looks and charisma are __everything.  We are all alone in this life, and it's best not to delude ourselves."_

            "Nire, what do I have to do to convince you that you're wrong?"  Jander usually tried to judge Nire's feelings and emotions by the miniscule cues she gave.  Over the years, he had learned to, basically, tune out his nose.  Now, however, he began to pay attention.  The first thing that assailed him was a deep tiredness.  That was the only way to describe the array of emotions.  Nire, although only twelve, was world-weary.  Beneath that was her monthly flow.  If only that was the explanation for her behavior, if only it was so easily solved.

            "Nire, how are you any better than any of those people?  How is what you're doing to me, to Azrael, to Raistlin any different?

            "I never said I was.  I never said it was any different.  I hurt you before you hurt me.  That's how it works.  Hopefully, I get you first.  That protects me.  You're all on your own."

            He took note of the slight shininess of her eyes.  "That's not how everyone operates, Nire.  Maybe you've just had some bad luck."

            "Bullshit.  I can't trust my own family.  Why should I trust me friends?  Are you trying to tell me that they can be more trusted?"

            "At times, yes.  That's exactly what I'm saying.  Why can't you just _try to trust us?'_

            "Because I _can't."  Her voice cracked on the last word.  "Nothing lasts forever/Even love's a lie/A tool for manipulation/There's no God beyond the sky.  What do you want from me, Jander?  Change the word love to friendship, and the lyrics still hold true.  What are you using me for?"_

            "Why do I have to want something?  Why is that the way it has to work, Nire?"

            "_Because.  Life's a bitch.  That's how it works."_

            "What do you want from me?"  Jander was suspicious now.  He didn't think she would put herself in that category, but…  "Do you have some ulterior motive?"

            "Of course I do."  For some reason, the look of shock on his face didn't bring her the usual pleasure.

            "Then what's your motive?" Jander could not say that he wasn't surprised, but he knew that she wasn't, and that her response was true, also.

            Truthful for once, Nire said, "Somewhere to run when I can't handle my family.  Somewhere to belong for an hour or so at a time.  Yeah, I'm using you."  She blinked back tears, trying to hide it.

            "Nire, that's what friends are _for.  That's the point of having friends."_

            "Okay, fine.  Maybe I Haven't figured out a use for you yet, but I will.  Unless you sue me and discard me first."  Nire was willing herself not to cry, as she had taught herself to do.

            "Nire, remember that night during the summer, when you sat with me all night and listened as I told you my problems?"  Reflecting back on that night, he must have been insane.  People just didn't tell things like that to children.  "Let me be there for you.  Okay li- Nire?"

            "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."  She felt guilty for yelling at him, and knew it must have hurt him.  She had an inkling of how important that little bit of extra familiarity she allowed him was.

            "That's okay, little one."  He watched her eyes, and saw a flash of happiness.  Perhaps she was not just letting him call her that for his own sake.  "What has been happening in your life since your birthday that's made you lose all faith in people?"

            Nire shrugged.  "Life is being life.  Life sucks, then you die.  In the meantime, everyone hates you.  I've learned to live with it."

            Jander had been keeping his distance, thinking it wiser.  Nire had taken her usual spot on the end of his bed, and he had stayed in a chair.  Now, however, he moved to sit next to her.

            "You are just a wealth of depressing clichés, aren't you?" he said, slightly amused.

            "Hell, yeah."  Without thinking about it, so used to letting her barriers down around Jander, she leaned against his side.  However, Jander totally fucked up any progress he was making by moving to put an arm around her.

            Nire jerked away, sliding back to the far end.  At first, Jander thought, as was typical of him, that she did not want a vampire touching her.  But hw quickly realized it was Nire being Nire.

            "Damn it, man!  You _know I don't like people touching me!"_

            It still hurt, but Jander refrained from pointing out that she had started it.  "Nire, why can't you trust me?  Why can't you trust again?"

            "_Because I don't remember how!  That's why!  Is that what you wanted to here?  The truth?  I don't remember, I don't think I ever learned how.  I've been fucked up ever since I can remember.  Yeah, you're right.  I can see in your eyes what you're thinking.  'Old beyond her years.  How sad.'  Well you're right.  I am and it is."  Nire's eyes blazed with anger and something else behind that.  Jander would guess she was struggling to hold back tears._

            "People fuck you over the first chance they get.  It's one of the fundamental truths of the universe.  It ain't happening to me anymore.  Get used to it."  Her voice cracked a couple times through that statement.

            Jander moved to kneel in front of Nire.  She was the closest thing he would ever have to a daughter, and he didn't want to lose her.  "Nire, why do you have to be so invincible all the time, like nothing touches you?  You're only twelve.  You're _allowed to have hurt feelings, to be wrong, to cry.  You can't sail through life untouched, and touching nothing else."  He offered her comfort and sympathy through telepathy._

            Nire had been fine up until that.  If he hadn't touched her mind with emotions, she would have been fine.  But now, one tear trickled down her face, then another, and another, and another.  Part of her cursed herself for being so weak.  Another part was glad she had a friendly shoulder to cry on.  Jander hugged her, held her, comforted her, the works, until she was done.

            "Sorry," she finally muttered, pulling away and scrubbing at her face.  She began to shut down and move away, but then Jander could see her physically trying to control what she was doing.  "It's become a reflex now.  I…ah, fuck, I'm so screwed up.  Why do you people put up with me?  Look, I can't promise anything.  But I'll try, okay?  Call it an automatic defense system, but I'll try to defuse it, okay man?"

            Azrael chose that moment to walk in.

            "Hey, Ja- oh, hey Nire!  Hey, what's wrong?"

            "Nothing.  Bad day.'

            "That sucks.  Hey Jander, can I have some money?"

            "_What do you do with your own?" Jander asked exasperatedly._

            "I got a _really bad poker hand.  Please?"_

            "Who would let _you in on a hand of poker?" Nire asked and grinned._

            "If you got money to bet, they don't care.  C'mon.  Just because you don't need to buy food doesn't mean I don't."

            Jander sighed and tossed over a couple of coins.

            "You better be lucky Jander's loaded."  Nire grinned.  "Can I join you/"

            Surprised, Azrael nodded and Jander handed Nire some money.  "I already got money, dumbass."  She handed it back.  "I don't need to be taken care of when I come here."

            Jander's eyes smiled.  "Sorry for forgetting, little one."  He watched them leave, praying that his little one would return.

*  *  *  *  *

            "All right, Nire.  What'd I do?"

            Nire looked up from her food, surprised.  "What do you mean?  Man, you guys are _strange tonight."_

            "Yeah.  Look, you've been avoiding me for weeks.  What'd I do?  Whatever it was, I'm sorry."

            Nire shook her head.  "Nah.  Nothing you did.  It's just me being me.  Look, Jander already talked to me.  Some of my other friends already tried.  Ah, shit, I gotta go apologize to him, too.  So, I'm sorry.  If I start pulling this shit ever again, smack me one and tell me to stop being a bitch.  'Kay?"

            Azrael nodded.  He wasn't quite sure he believed her, but that was all he would ever get.  "All right, Nire.  I'll remember that."

            "Yeah, so what's been up witchoo lately?"

            "Nothing much."  He wondered if Nire knew about Jander.  She must - they had spent so much time together.  But… He knew that Jander and Nire could talk to each other mind-to-mind, and wondered if he had the talent.

            _Hey, Jander?__  Can you hear me? _

            _Azrael?__  Is that you? _

            _Sweet deal!  This is cool!  Hey, does Nire know…about you? _

            _Yes, she does.  Why? _

            _I'm just wondering.  Damn, this is so cool__. _

            "Hey!  Come on Az!  Stop spacing out on me!  Or at least learn to double-speak.  And to choose to send to only one person.  Man, who woulda thunk.'

            "O-kay.  Wait, you could hear that?  Double-speak?  What?"

            "Yes, I could hear you.  And I bet everyone else in this room heard you, and I thinking they're crazy.  Double-speaking.  That's when you're carrying on two conversations  at once.  One in your head - telepathically - and the other out loud.  I do it a lot."  _Like right now.   "I dunno about Jander, though.  Am I gonna have to start teaching you the semantics of telepathy now?"_

            "Well, if you wanna."

            "Sure, man.  There's little else for me to do.  I bet it'll help me reconnect with reality.  Which I know would make Jander happy."

            "Hey, Nire…" Azrael lowered his voice.  "How long have you known about Jander?"

            "Since the day I met him."  Nire had done a surface scan at that statement, making sure Jander knew he knew.  "Don't worry 'bout it.  You're safer with him than with anyone else, cuz you got all the…extra shit on the side of the good."

            "You lying?  Would you lie to me about something like this?"

            "No and no.  Trust me on this, Az.  He's one of the good guys.  Fighter of evil when he finds it."

            Nire sent out her mind, making sure no one could hear them, and they couldn't.  "Look, man, I'd love to stay for longer, but I had only planned on staying for a couple minutes, then going back to my house and finishing my homework.  'Cause those fucking asshole teachers give us _tons to prepare us for next year.  Assholes."_

            "Okay, Nire.  Talk to you late?"

            "Yeah.  I'll be back tomorrow, I bet."  Nire dropped some coins on the table and walked back up to Jander's room.  She found him quickly wiping bloodtears off his face.  _Guess I'm not going home after all._

            "Hey man, what's wrong?"  She came to stand in front of his chair.

            "Nothing, little one."  But he wouldn't meet her gray eyes with his silver ones.

            "Dude, I so totally just told you things about myself _nobody else knows about.  Man, you think anyone else knows about my self-defense mechanism?  So what's up?"_

            "And when will be the next time I'll see you, Nire?  Two weeks?  Three?  A month?"  His voice was laced with bitterness.

            "You've got to be kidding.  You mean it actually des bother you when I don't show up for a week or so?"

            "And when I come to visit you, and I'm not welcome anymore.  Yes, it does _bother me."_

            Nire was shocked by the fact that she had actually hurt Jander.  She stepped forward and wrapped his lithe form in a hug.  "Jesus, I'm sorry Jander.  Nobody ever cares when I pull shit like that.  They just drift the opposite way."

            Jander wrapped his arms around Nire's chunky frame, holding her tight.  "Don't do that again, Nire.  I _need you around.  I __need something stable in my life."_

            "What about Az?  Isn't he stable?" Nire fought not to stiffen in Jander's arms, winning the battle for now.

            Jander let her go, knowing she would soon become uncomfortable.  "Nire…look, when you're around me, it's like I'm normal again, for a little while.  You don't fear me in the slightest.  But, Azrael, he does.  He fears being alone again more than he fears me, but I can still smell the cloying scent of fear surrounding him, now.  You can't understand how important it is to me that you don't…" He paused and sighed, shaking his head.  "Never mind.  I'm sorry, Nire.  I…  Go on home now."

            "Hey," she said gently.  "Would it make you feel better if I brought my homework here tonight?"

            Surprised by the offer, wondering if she had read his mind - he did want her relaxing presence around for longer - Jander still said, "Only if you want to, little one."

            "And that is Jander-speak for yes.  If you make me a gate, I'll grab my books.  Okely-dokely?"

            Jander's eyes smiled.  "Okay, little one."

            Nire grabbed her backpack and a pen, then hefted it back through Jander's portal.  It weighed a ton.  She thumped it down on the floor and stretched out beside it, starting to pull out her books.

            "These teachers are so fucking stupid.  I mean, oh my God.  I swear, if they give us this much homework next year, I'll kill myself.  This is insane.  I have no time for _anything anymore.  I'm in this independent learning math thing - I'm farther ahead than all of the other special kids.  But Mrs. Coder is an idiot.  She never has the tests ready for me.  It is so annoying.  And I completely __hate Mrs. Martinelli…." Nire kept up a steady stream of chatter as she worked.  Occasionally, she would interrupt herself to ask a question._

            "Hey, if 2x+y=7 and 7x+2y=1 then what would I do?"

            Jander would begin to respond.  "I don't know, little one.  I have no idea…"

            "Thank you!" she would say brightly before he finished.

            When questioned, her response was, "I'm thinking out loud.  When someone answers me, that starts the wheels a-turning.  I don't expect you to know the answer, just to respond in some way.  Of course, if you did know the answer, that would be helpful, too."  Nire grinned up at him.

            Jander moved from the chair down to the floor next to Nire, so he could see what she was working on.  It was gibberish to him, even with the potion that let him read the words.  Being able to read it did not mean it had to make any sense to him, just as he sometimes did not understand the idioms Nire used.

            "What's that?" he asked.

            "Math," she replied absently.

            "That looks like gibberish."

            "It is, unless you know what it means."  She turned to him and grinned, slapping the book and notebook closed.  "A'done."  She shoved that book set out of the way and pulled out another one.  "Ya know, school really sucks.  Think about it - six and a half hours a day, five days a week, a bit more than nine months a year.  And then, that's for at least twelve years of my life, plus kindergarten, preschool, and college."

            Jander's mind was half-reeling.  He tried not to question Nire overly much about her own world.  She preferred to come to Faerûn to escape from everything.

            "Run that by me again, little one?"

            Nire cocked her head; puzzlement passing over her face before understanding lit it up.  "Whoa, shit, I think I just realized how different our worlds are.  Okay, um… Ah, Jesus.  My world is no longer agriculturally based, which means that us kids don't have to work in the fields, which means we can go to school for a longer period of time.  As far as I'm concerned, until I go to college to learn how to do the job I want, school is merely a government run institute for controlling the masses.  It's a place for busy parents to send their kids to be babysat for free."

            For Nire, that was a signal that she was done talking on the subject.  Jander was satisfied.  Nire had talked more in the past half hour than she had in the past year.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Hi, Raist."  Nire shifted back and forth on her feet.

            "Nire.  What a…pleasant surprise,' he said coolly.

            Nire ran a hand through her hair.  It was getting long.  She could feel the anger rising at his tone, and fought to sublimate it.  But she felt as if she were some random child, intruding on his privacy.  "Look, I was just coming to apologize for acting like a total bitch the other day, but, forget it."

            "What?  You, apologize?  _No."  His voice dripped with sarcasm._

            "You know, fuck off.  This is why I'm not nice to people.  I try to be nice, and look what happens.  High-and-mighty self-centered shit heads like you made me who I am.  I'll be back some time later to clear out my stuff."  Nire was gone in the blink of an eye.  Raistlin began to regret his quick judgment.

*  *  *  *  *

            Raistlin stood; patiently waiting in the room he had given Nire in his tower.  Jander had given him the heads-up that she was coming to pick up her belongings.  Time for him to rediscover the art of apologizing.

            Nire popped into existence.  "Don't worry, I'll be cleared out in a little bit.  It was fun."

            "Nire, wait.  Look… I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day.  I wasn't thinking very clearly, lass."

            Nire was all set and ready to snap back at him, but the 'lass' stopped her.  He hardly ever called her anything but Nire, and when he said it, he was serious.

            "I'm sorry, too.  I shouldn't have totally gone off on you when you were trying to talk to me.  I seriously didn't know I was pulling away, though.  Jander knocked some sense into me."  She shrugged and spread her hands.  "What can I say?  It's not like you missed me."

            "And how do you know that, lass?  Do you live in my mind?"

            Nire rolled her eyes and stuck out her hand.  "Whatever.  Friends?"

            Raistlin smiled, his hourglass eyes lighting up in happiness as he took her hand.  "Friends."

            "Well, my good buddy, now that we're buddies again, I need your help.  You know Jander, you know what it is.  How well can you keep a secret?"

            "To the death."  Raistlin pulled up a chair.

            "Good, 'cause if you tell anyone, I will kill you.  Now, I asked Jander what he wanted for Christmas-"

            "That's not for almost a year in your world," Raistlin interrupted.

            "_Last Christmas, dumbass.  Anyways, 'mortality' slipped out of his mouth.  Now, I __know I can't give him that.  Hell, I wouldn't want to.  But, is there something I __can give him?  some spell or potion I can weave to give him a semblance…"_

            Raistlin began to shake his head.  "Not without killing us both.  Something that big requires a major sacrifice, a life force, as a catalyst.

            "That sucks."  Nire gazed around the room.  This meant she would have to do it on her own.  Wonderful.  She couldn't get mad at him, though.  He was right, and she knew it.  Perhaps the sacrifice of her life would be enough.  None of the worlds had anything left for her.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire wandered the streets of Waterdeep.  Today had been one of the worst days of her life.  Nothing had happened, really, she just felt deeply down in the dumps.  Not wanting to burden her few close friends with her constant depression, she decided to go see what was happening in Waterdeep.

            She meandered her way into a shop for antique books.  People were talking way back in the shop, but it didn't register on her brain.  She was immediately engrossed in looking through titles.  Disappointed, most of them she couldn't read.  She made it halfway through the first bookcase before smacking herself in the head.  The spell she had done - that damn foul-tasting potion - should allow her to read them.  She was an idiot!  She concentrated briefly, and there was a _blink!  Now, she understood the particular titles and all the titles in the same language.  She could still understand the few titles in Common, too, because that had been a separate spell._

            She moved among the shelves, slightly happier behind her dour face.  She _blinked! every couple books.  Most were boring, histories of realms and such.  Once in a while, she would come across an interesting one, take it out, and carefully flip through the pages.  The __blinks! were making her dizzy._

            Nire got bored in the specific row she was in, and moved farther back in the shop.  Instead of reading every one of the titles, she now looked for one with pretty colors and fancy writing.  The first she _blinked! on was Curses of Old and Cures.  Opening it, it was the first book with a table of contents.  She quickly scanned through, realizing for the first time that other people were in the shop with her.  She hated shopping with people around, so she scanned quicker.  Down at the very bottom, one word caught her eye - __nosferatu._

            Her eyes almost passed over the word as people came closer.  Luckily, her brain caught it and her eyes flicked back.  She carefully, quickly flipped to the page.  She read quickly, scanning.

_…The curse of the nosferatu__, being not truly a curse, has no cure per se.  However, the symptoms of the affliction can be somewhat alleviated through the one-time drinking of a specially prepared potion.  Unfortunately, due to the level of danger in the preparation, the directions cannot be published here.  The great mage Azazel of Belasarius developed this potion after his wife was bitten by a vampyre…_

            Nire sighed, but took out the pen she always had on her, scribbling the name of the mage on her hand.  This was something she would look in to, just in case.

            "Hey!  Put that back!  Don't touch any of these books you little-" An irate shopkeeper stormed toward her followed by none other than Khelben Blackstaff.

            "She's okay."  Khelben calmed the man as Nire quickly and carefully replaced the book.

            "Well, then, she better be leaving with you.  Children are _not allowed in here."_

            Nire's eyes narrowed as Khelben said, "Come on, Nire."

            She bit her tongue and followed him out of the shop.  "Asshole," she muttered to herself.

            "Can you blame him?" Khelben asked her.  "Most children would destroy the priceless books in there.  He can't tell at a glance that you're not like the rest."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah."  Nire rolled her eyes.  "I _know that.  Doesn't mean I can't call him and asshole behind his back, though."_

            Khelben smiled in amusement.  "We haven't seen you around here often, lately, my young friend."

            "Perhaps because I have not been around here lately," Nire said sarcastically.  As the words left her mouth, she remembered what Jander had told her. Perhaps these people would fit into the category of he, Azrael, and Raistlin.  Nire made herself a quick promise right then.  Not to totally drop her defenses against friendship with these people, but to perhaps send out an exploratory team.  "It's been a busy time for me."

            Khelben nodded.  "As it has been for us all.  Were you looking for anything particular in there?" he asked as they walked down the street.

            Nire shrugged.  "Not really.  Just for something interesting to read.  Didn't really find anything.  Obviously."

            "What are you doing right now?"

            "Walking down a street, talking to you."

            Khelben chuckled at that.  "What about when you're done doing that?"

            "Nothing that's planned.  I'll probably wander 'till dark, then go bug Jander for a couple hours."  Nire threw that in to see the reaction.

            Khelben only showed the barest hint of a surprised look.  Nire had to mentally commend him for that.  "Then what do you say to coming with me for a visit?  Laeral's been after me to find you and invite you back."

            Nire cast her eyes skyward, considering as they walked.  "Ah, what the hell, why not.  Sure."

            Khelben smiled.  "Laeral will be pleased."

            As far as Nire was concerned, these people were crazy.  "Yeah.  Say, have you ever heard of Azazel of Belasarius?"

            Khelben nodded.  "Yes, why?"

            "Just a name I happened to come across.  Sounded interesting.  Who was he?"

            Khelben couldn't see the lie in her eyes, but figured she was still lying.  "Well, he was a very powerful mage from before the Time of Troubles.  He was known for his eccentricity and his paranoia.  What exactly do you want to know about him?"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'unno.  Stuff.  Like, where'd he live?"

            "Deep in the heart of the Tethyrian forests.  No one actually knows for sure - his home has never been found."

            "He was paranoid?  How paranoid?"

            "Extremely paranoid.  The one person he trusted was his wife.  It's one of the most famous romance stories of Faerûn.  He trusted nothing and nobody.  The tower he lived in was said to be surrounded by traps of his own invention, which would last for thousands of years.  They are impossible to get by, unless you knew the specific path.  And the path changed seemingly at random.

            "Whoa.  Back up a couple steps.  Run this by me again.  So, nobody knows exactly where this place is, no?"

            "Right," Khelben confirmed.

            "And yet, people know about these traps, no?  And I'm guessing there's stuff about inside the tower, too."

            "Of course."  Khelben nodded.  "It's a legend."

            "All legends have basis in fact, which brings me to the conclusion that someone must have gotten in _and out.  And I guarantee there's a legend about that."_

            "Very good," Khelben said admiringly.

            "So, what are these traps?" Nire cocked her head and looked up at the mage walking beside her.

            "Well, the outside defenses are normal, common magical defenses. The entire thing is inside a labyrinth of closely packed trees.  And the trees move, so the way is always changing.  The first wrong turn leads you to a trap of flying swords.  Next, topiary appears out of the walls and attacks.  Beyond that, are invisible holes in the ground

            "As you get closer to the center, everything becomes more intense.  Why do you want to know?"

            The sudden question didn't throw Nire off; she didn't even blink.  "Because it's interesting.  I'm too young to go searching for the place, if that's what you're thinking."

            Khelben continued to tell her of the traps and dangers of the place.  Seeing a gleam in her eye at one point, he began to compound the dangers to scare her off.  He realized that it had been a mistake to tell her.  But he began to get into the story, when she asked him of the legend of the man who got through.  When Khelben led her into the tower, the two of them barely noticed Laeral, so engrossed were they in the conversation.  Khelben led her to his private entertaining room.

            "So, that's the first level of the tower.  The entire second level is an area of null-magic, riddled with warrior-traps."

            "Hold up a sec.  Null magic?"  She left the question open for him to interpret.

            "An area where no magic works, the object it emanates from is usually the center of a sphere of null magic."

            "You have to be bullshitting me!" Nire exclaimed.  "That's not possible!"

            "How so?"  Khelben expected something frivolous and childish, if she had an answer at all.  Once more, he was underestimating her.

            "You got the thingamabob this area of null magic is emanating from, no?  So, that means _all magic on the second level would be void, __including the object.  So it wouldn't work, and magic would work.  But, wait, that means the thing would work again, making all the magic go away, but that would make it not work and the magic come back on and on in an endless cycle.  But wouldn't somehow the two forces cancel each other out, leaving the area unaffected?"_

            Khelben was surprised at the logic behind that.  "Logically, yes.  However, magic isn't always logical.  Honestly, no one knows exactly how such enchantments work, just that they do."

            "Maybe it's all psychological.  You don't think your spells will work, therefore they don't."

            "Possible," Laeral said, and both their heads snapped to where she was standing in the doorway.  "But what of people who don't know that they're in a null-magic area?  Anything magical they try to do still does not work, and they aren't aware of why."  She walked the rest of the way into the room and sat done.

            "The most accepted belief is that the object itself can do magic, and perhaps a little, infinitesimally small area, is not affected.  The object projects…rays, I guess you could say, of the magic annulling type outwards, to a finite distance."  Khelben waited for Nire's response to that, interested to see what she would have to say.

            Nire mused for a moment.  "Okay, but what's to stop the force from continuing outward and dispersing further until the effect is negligible, like when you put a drop of paint in a lake?  Perhaps… perhaps it's more like a vacuum - sucking all the magic in, so it doesn't work.  That would mean, when there's no magic around, it's doing nothing.  The magic it sucks in would also provide its power.  And the reason why it would have finite limits is because it's only powerful enough to pull from a certain distance."

            Khelben smiled.  "Very good, very good.  That is quite possible."

            Laeral, too, was smiling.  "But your reasoning is slightly flawed.  The effect wouldn't be so much pain in water as light from a candle.  Using your logic, it means a candle would give off no light, that the light would disperse too, and the room would remain dark."

            "And how do you know that the candle isn't sucking the darkness in?"  Nire ginned evilly.  "Ah ha.  How's that."

            "Not bad," Laeral said approvingly.  "Not bad at all."

            Khelben made eye contact with his love.  _There's a brilliant brain in there, his eyes said, and hers agreed._


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

****

**(A/N:**  Thank the gods, god is back!  Sheesh, I can't have one of the few people who actually read this story disappearing like that!  Shame on you!  *grin*  Oh my gods.  I just watched 'Donnie Darko'.  That is now my favorite movie!  The ending was awesome!  The question is, if the…never mind, it's too long to write here, but if anyone wants to talk about the movie with me, the lines are always open.  New rule - if you want me to answer some sort of question, email it to my privately or leave your email address!  (Yes, deathofalllife, I AM talking to you!)  I have no way to contact you people and answer any questions you ask.  Such as the one recently posed.  And, no, I didn't stop writing the story.  Hell, it's only been…Less than a week.  I had all the chapters up to thirteen already written, so it's gonna be slow-going from now on because I have to actually write the chapters again.  Oh, yeah, and don't forget, if you peoples see possible relationships springing up (or people who _you _want together), please tell me!  Give me some reader input!  Thanks!  R/R/E!**)**

**Disclaimer:** 'Broadway' belongs to the GooGoo Dolls.  'Jumper' belongs to Third Eye Blind.  'Truly Madly Deeply' belongs to Savage Garden.  'Kiss Me' belongs to Sixpence None The Richer.  My apologies for any anachronisms with the songs.  I tried to remember which ones would be out around that time period (early 1998, I think), but my memory has never been that good for that kind of stuff.  And you know who the rest of the characters belong to.

**Quick Note:** Words between asterisks (*like this *) signify conversation in a language that the person without the spell one them (that allows them to understand the language) wouldn't understand.  Such as, when Jander and Nire are talking, and Nire's mother is in the room, words *like this * are in Common, whereas words like this are in English.  Got it?  Good.****

            Jander's eyes smiled as Nire talked.  He wasn't particularly listening to her, just hearing her voice.  Since Nire's last little meltdown/regression, it had been as though that had been one of the last few barriers to break down.  Now, only a few were left.  She stopped in mid-sentence, though, when someone outside of her room started singing.  The voice sucked - it was breathy, weak, and wavery.

            "Broadway's dark tonight

            "A little weaker than you used to be

            "Broadway's dark tonight

            "I see the wound man sitting in the old man's bar

            "Waiting for his turn to die."

            Nire got up and opened her door slightly, sticking out her head.  "The GooGoo Dolls, 'Broadway'.  Duh.  Try this one-"

            "He's the first to fight

            "A bit too loud

            "He's the first to lie

            "On the burial shroud."

            She shut the door again as Jander marveled at the difference in the two voices.  Nire could sing - she was actually pretty good.  She hummed a _lot when she wasn't talking, but he had never heard her sing.  He actually wished that she would sing sometimes instead of hum._

            "What was that about?" he asked.

            "I bet her that I could name more songs than she could.  So far, I'm winning."  She grinned at him.  "Sorry 'bout that, but it's going to continue for a while."

            "You have a good voice, little one.  You should sing more often."  After hearing her once, he would love to hear her vocalize the songs that were constantly running through her head.

            "Anywho, what were we talking about?"  She rolled her eyes skyward, thinking.  Her cat wandered in at that point and stopped dead, hissing at Jander.  Before he could respond by making it leave, Nire snapped, "Shut up Spice.  And calm down."  Surprisingly enough, the cat did.

            "How did you do that?" Jander asked in amazement.

            "Do what?"  Nire was honestly puzzled.

            "Calm him down.  You shouldn't have been able to do that.  He should still be hissing at me right now, unless _I calmed him."_

            Nire shrugged.  "I'unno.  He listens to me."  She picked up the white-and-black cat, depositing him on her bed.  "Anyway, I don't remember what I was saying anymore.  Do you?"

            Jander shook his head.  "Sorry, little one.  I- never mind."

            "You weren't listening, were you?" Nire asked, feigning anger.

            The slightly embarrassed look in his eyes told her.  She put on her best angry face as she responded.

            "Well, that's just great.  Have you ever listened to me when I talk to you?  Do you care at all about what I'm saying?  Or do you just hang around for kicks?"

            Jander's went back to their stoic mask, but Nire could see the panic behind them.  She was rarely, if ever, mad at him.  "My apologies, little one.  I didn't mean… Usually I am listening to you, I just got lost in my own thoughts.  Forgive me?"  Her face was an uncompromising mask.  Behind it, she was laughing.  "Really, Nire.  I love talking with you.  You're probably my best friend…" He trailed off as a grin broke out on her face.

            "I'm just kidding, you oaf.  If I can't remember what I was talking about, then it's not important.  Damn, you're too easy!"  She sat down next to him on her bed.  "_Way too easy.  You worry too much, man."_

            A slow smile spread over his face as he looked at his young companion.  He was realizing that Nire was beginning to mean more to him that was safe for his sanity.  "I know I am, little one."

            "The Wallflowers - 'Jumper'," Nire's sister yelled.  Then her bad voice started singing.  "I wanna stand with you on the mountain

            "I wanna bathe with you in the sea

            "I wanna lie like this forever

            "Until the sky falls down on her knees."

            Nire grimaced and immediately went to her door.  "Number one, mine was by Third Eye Blind.  Number two, Savage Garden - 'Truly Madly Deeply'.  Try this on for size: Kiss me out in the bearded barley

            "Nightly along the green, green grass

            "Swing, swing, swing your silver hat

            "You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.

            "The lyrics aren't' exactly right, but you get the drift."  She closed her door again and sat next to Jander once more.

            "Why don't you ever sing?" he asked her.  "You always hum, but you never sing."

            Nire lay back on her bed the short way, so her feet her hanging off. "Because I suck at singing."

            Jander lay back next to her.  "No you don't.  You have a very good voice.  It sounds like spring rain."

            "And is that a good thing?" Nire turned her head to grin at him.

            "Yes, it is."  Jander, too, smiled, a real smile that reached his lips.  Usually, when he smiled, it only touched his eyes.  Seeing his lips quirked upwards was odd, to Nire.  It actually made him quite handsome.

            "You should smile with your mouth more often," Nire told him, watching the smile widen.  "Anyway, you shouldn't encourage me to sing.  Try to imagine the constant humming as constant singing."

            "I think it would be nice."

            "I think it would drive you insane."  Nire cast her eyes toward the door, as best she could.  "I do believe I have stumped her, and with an easy one."

            Nire and Jander talked long into the night.  Azrael was out doing something - the gods knew what - so Jander had come to visit Nire.  He had not been to her room in a while, and was shocked that it was clean.  Nire had won the song war with her sister, and at half-past midnight, she, her mother, and Jander were the only ones awake in the house.

            As they listened to her mother's movements, Nire said, "She's probably doing paperwork.  I am _so glad I sound-proofed this room permanently."_

            They listened as she walked toward them.  "She won't come in here, will she?" Jander asked, concerned.

            Nire shook her head.  "Nah.  She'll think I'm asleep.  She's probably going to the bathroom."  Nire forgot about the light that had to be shining from under her closed door.  "We're fine."

            "If you say so, little one.  Is school almost over for you?"

            Nire shook her head.  "Four more freakin' months.  Why?  It keeps me out of your hair for most of the night."

            "Ah, but little one, that is what I miss - having you traveling with me all night."

            "I'm sure you do," she said sarcastically.  "Anyway, there's this new girl in school - well, not really new, but I've really just met her.  Her name's Katie, like that matters.  She is awesome!  She is the first person - first kid - I've met who thinks on the same level as me!  It is so cool, I can't describe it.  The only downfall is that she hangs around with Jess Hughson, who I despise, but oh well."

            "So does this mean you won't be coming to…discuss your ideas with us as much, little one?" he asked her, concerned but trying to hide it.

            "Hell, no."  Nire picked up on his worrying.  "Talking to you guys is so much better.  But, frankly, you're not much use during the day.  And she's even more of a fountain of useless knowledge than I am!"

            Jander smiled; happy that Nire had found someone her own age that she was already showing signs of trusting.  But even as he smiled, a pang of jealousy shot through him.  He wondered if she had ever talked to others about him like that, praised him so highly as a friend.  He cocked his head as he heard Nire's mother walking down the hall again.

            "She's coming back again."  He couldn't stop being slightly nervous.

            "Don't _worry.  My Gawd, you're pathetic.  She won't come in here."_

            Nire ate her words, however, as her mother opened the door.  "Nire, it's- who the hell are you!  Get away from my daughter!"

            Nire and Jander both had deer-in-the-headlights looks.  But Jander jumped up, quickly switching to English.  He held up his hands in the universal peace gesture.  "Please, I mean no harm."

            "Nire come over here.  And you," Nire's mother stabbed an accusing finger at Jander, "stay right there.  I'm calling the police."

            Nire shook her head.  "Ma.  Calm down."

            "I'm _very calm," her mother said.  "__Get over here."  She moved forward and grabbed Nire's arm._

            Nire easily pulled away, twisting her arm out of her mother's grasp.  "No.  Knock it off, Ma.  My gawd, do you think I'd be stupid enough to put myself in danger?

            "Nire-" she tried to say warningly, but the girl interrupted.

            "Look, Ma.  Take a couple deep breaths and listen to me."

            "I'm calling the police."

            "No you're not."  Nire's door closed before her mother could get to it, and she chuckled a little.  "Good Lord, I feel like I'm in Carrie."

            Jander still had the deer-in-the-headlights look.  He had been watching Nire for cues on how to behave, but now he had to interrupt.  "*You are not helping, little one. *  Please, madam, listen to me.  On my word, I mean you and your family no harm."

            "That doesn't work in my world, Jander.  People's word means little, now."

            "That is a sad thing, little one."  _What is it I can say, then?  Help me, little one. _

            _I don't know.  Hypnotize her, or something. _

            _I can't do that. _

            _Why not? _

            _Because I can't. _

            "Madam…" He couldn't think of anything to say.  Perhaps he _should just mindwipe her._

            "Get out of my house," Nire's mother growled.

            Nire looked at Jander.  "Come one, let's go then."

            Jander quickly fashioned a gate for her, against his better judgment.  "*Go ahead.  Let me talk to your mother alone. *" He could feel Nire quickly reaching her meltdown point.  It was crucial to get her out before she exploded and made everything worse.  She disappeared before her mother's eyes, which was disconcerting to saw the least.

            "_What did you do to her?"_

            "Please, calm down."  Using telepathy, Jander sent out calming vibes.  "I did not do anything to your daughter.  She is perfectly fine - she is merely waiting for me at the inn I'm staying at.  As a parent, you want what is best for your child, correct?  Please, I beg of you, believe me on this.  You don't truly know your own daughter.  You cannot, because she cannot talk to you, _because you are her mother."  Even though it made him feel dirt and evil, he began to pressure her mind to believe him, using the powers he had because he was a vampire.  "She could not survive in this world, even though she was born here.  I do not know why this is, but it is."_

            "And what would _you want with a little girl?" Nire's mother asked icily._

            "What kind of sick monster do you think I am!?" Jander exclaimed.

            He heard Nire laughing in his head.  _Strong feelings on that subject, mmm? _

            "I don't know.  I find you alone with my daughter in her room late at night.  I have no idea how you got in here.  What am I supposed to think?"

            "Maybe in body, Nire is still young, but in mind… She's brilliant and a joy to talk to.  My lifestyle demands that I am awake at night and sleep during the day."  He pressured her to accept what he was saying and keep it a secret.  By the slightly dazed look on her face, he could tell it was working.

            "But…but she has school tomorrow."

            Jander smiled reassuringly.  "Trust me.  Nire can be fully functional on three hours of sleep.  I really must go now.  Please do not worry about your daughter."  As Nire's mother nodded and Jander stepped through the gate, he tried to convince himself that as long as he used his vampiric talents for hood, it was okay.  He believed that Nire's well being truly depended on her being able to visit her other friends.  Not necessarily him, but _definitely Raistlin.  Then why did he feel so unclean?_

            Nire was sitting on his bed, her eyes fixed on nothing.  She was completely and totally spaced out.  He must have made some noise to alert her of his presence, however, because she turned to him.  He could see stress clearly written on her face for a brief instant before he mask dropped down.

            "Did you erase her memory?"

            Jander shook his head.  "No, little one.  But-"

            She interrupted him, bursting out with, "Why not?  Do you know what it's going to be like for me, now?  Who are you?  Where's I meet you?  How long ago?  How do I know you're not some child molester?  Have you ever touched me inappropriately?  And on and on and on.  I don't ask for much, do I?  Just this one little thing.  Is that too much to ask?"

            Jander waited a couple seconds to make sure she was done.  "May I continue, little one?  No, I did not erase her memory of me.  But I did implant the suggestion that I was a good person for you to be around, and that I wouldn't hurt you.  Is that not good enough for you, little one?  Have I not compromised my morals enough?"

            "If you're going to take a bite of the goddamned fruit, why not just eat the whole fucking thing?"

            Jander did not understand that phrase, but he let it slide.  "Why did you not do it?  Isn't that something that comes with your powers of telepathy?"

            "Why do you think?  Do you honestly believe I would ask you to do something like that if I could do it myself?  You know, give me some credit.  I have an inkling that Gar and Alea find it dangerous to give that knowledge to one so young."  Nire laughed bitterly.  "I think my rate of learning scares them, as it scares Caramon and Tanis."

            "That's never mattered to you before, little one."  Jander finally sat down next to her.

            She turned a pale, harried face to him, letting him see behind the mask for a brief instant.  "I can't turn it off anymore, Jander.  Whenever I'm around someone, I can feel their emotions, whether I want to or not.  I can feel how they feel about me when I talk to them."  She buried her face in her hands.  Now her voice was muffled when she spoke.  "Do you know how it feels to know that half the people - and almost all of the adult s- you're around every day dislike you?  Especially when you've done _nothing to earn their animosity?  Most of the rest of them wouldn't notice if you fell off the face of the earth?  How about that, out of my on-world friends, only two would notice if I fell off the face of the earth?  Only two would actually miss me?  I don't know _what_ I would do without Corry and Katie."_

            Jander put an arm around Nire's shoulders and hugged her to him.  He could feel the deep pain in her as she talked.  "Then when I get home, I can _feel_ how my mom and dad like my sister better than me.  And they wonder why I spend so much time locked alone in my room.  Can you imagine, not only being able to see it, but being able to _feel_ it, too?"  She took a shuddering breath.  "I already knew Kerry didn't like me, as I don't like her.  But to be able to feel her animosity to me…"

            Noire was done talking, and Jander knew it.  He noticed that she did not speak of her off-world friends, but he did not press her on it.  Yet.  "Why don't you talk to Gar and Alea, little one?"

            "I can't.  They're on some freaking planet, starting another revolution.  You know I'm not allowed with them.  It's too dangerous," she said sarcastically.

            "I'm sure they'll make an exception.  You don't look well, little one."

            "Bullshit.  Why should they make any exceptions?  I'll survive.  And if I don't," Nire shrugged, lifting her head.  "Oh well, no one will miss me."

            "Don't talk like that!  I would?  Or am I nobody?  What about Corry and Katie?  Or Raistlin?"

            Nire sighed.  "Yeah, you're right.  I guess.  If it gets to be too bad, I'll go talk to Gar and Alea.  But do you understand why I asked you to mindwipe my mother?  I don't think I can handle the added disapproval…"

            "And what do you feel from us, little one?"  Jander asked quietly.  "What do you feel from your off-world friends?"

            Nire's voice choked with tears she was too strong to show.  "Friendship, love, a family."  AS her voice cracked, she added, "Goddamn it!  I'm too emotional."

            "There's no such thing as too emotional or too sensitive, little one."  He gently kissed the top of her head.

            "Let's move on to a happier subject before I have to go back and face the nightmare, okay?"

            Jander agreed, always happy to oblige his best friend.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Nire!"

            Nire flinched at her mother's call and left her room.  Nobody was home but she and her mother.  This would be The Talk.

            "What, Ma?" Nire hooked a chair from the kitchen table and straddled it as a guy would.

            "Who was that man?"  Upon reflection, Nire's mother realized she must have been insane to allow her daughter to go off with him.  And how had they disappeared right in front of her?  That was impossible!

            "Jander.  My friend."

            "And where did you meet him?"

            "I saved his life."

            Nire's mother didn't believe her.  "How?"

            "People were trying to kill him.  I scared them off."

            Nire's mother raised an eyebrow.  "How?"

            "Believe me if you want or don't.  It's the truth.  There is _so_ much you don't know about me.  You _don't_ know your daughter anymore.  Trust me on this."

            "And how do you know he's safe to be around?  How do you know he's not some child molester?"

            "How do you know he is?  What happened to the good old American ideal of innocent until proven guilty? Two years, and he had never done _anything_ to me."

            "You've known him for _two years_!!"

            "Which is how I know he's not a pervert."

            "But what would a man his age want with a preteen?" Nire's mother asked hotly.

            Anger flashed in Nire.  "What did Emily want with us?  Perhaps he's telling the truth, and he _enjoys_ talking to me.  But no," Nire continued sarcastically, "that couldn't be.  No adult could ever find me smart enough or interesting enough to talk to."  Nire turned on her heels and stormed back to her room.  She had planned on having a nice conversation, to try and make her mother see the truth and accept her.  She should have known that would be impossible.  She had felt Jander arrive a few minutes into the conversation, so she wasn't surprised to see him lounging on her bed.  He jumped when she slammed her door.

            "*What's the matter, little one? *"

            She didn't answer, but jerked her off-world clothes out of her closet and tossed them at him.  "*Hold these? *"

            He caught them and draped them over one arm.  "*What are you doing, little one? *"

            She dropped to the floor beside her bed and started pulling things out.  "*I'm going to get in a ripshit fight with Caramon, Flint, and Tanis. *"

            Her door began to open, but a simple look from Nire sent it slamming shut.  "Nire!  Let me in!" her mother called.

            Jander could see when Nire dropped the soundproofing.  It was permanent, but she could turn it on and off at will.  She just didn't need to concentrate to keep it either way.  "*Little one… *"

            "No!  Hold these."  She began handing him weapons.

            "Nire!  What are you doing!" There was more pounding on the door.

            Jander caught Nire's eye.  "*Let her in, Nire. *"

            "*No. *" Her voice broked no argument.

            Jander argued anyway.  "*Nire, open the door. *"

            "*No.  Fuck off. *"

            "*Let her in or don't bother coming to visit me any longer. *" He said it in a serious tone, although he would never truly go through with such an action.

            Hurt flashed in Nire's eyes.  Her door flew open and her mother stumbled in.  "What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

            "Going out for a couple hours."

            Jander was struck by a though.  _Nire, it's nighttime.  Will they be willing to fight you so late? _

            "You can't do that!"

            "Watch me."  _The sun _just _set.  And Caramon's been telling me I need to begin learning to fight at night.  Now's as good a time as any. _

            "I will not allow you to leave this house."

            "Watch me," Nire sneered once more.

            She took out her under-pants belt and slung it over her shoulder.  Then she moved to her closet.  Jander already held her two swords and wrist sheathes.

            "What are all of those things?"

            "My weapons."

            "Where did you get them?"

            "My friends."  Nire was apparently going to limit her answers to her mother to a few words.

            "What are you going to do with them?"

            "Fight."

            "Who?"

            "My friends."

            Jander tried not to laugh at the look on Nire's mother's face.  While he felt Nire should listen to her mother and respect her elders, the look was priceless.  It was one of complete stupefaction, amazement, and denial.

            "You can't do that!"

            "Haven't you already said that?  I am, I need to, I want to, I will."  She had to get rid of the pent up aggression she had been storing, the stress and frustration from the empathy she could no longer control.  Now was the perfect time to do it, so she would go see Caramon whether her mother wanted her to or not, whether her mother knew or not.

            "Would it make you feel better if you came along to watch?"  Jander spoke up for the first time.

            Nire glared at him and he almost winced from her mental voice.  _What the fuck are you doing? _

            "Yes, actually, it would."  Nire's mother had resigned herself to the fact that she could no longer control her daughter.  In fact, she had done it extremely quickly for her.  She was now determined to make the best of the uncontrollable situation.

            _Have you talked to Caramon yet, little one? _

            _I'll do that right now. _  Nire switched froms ending to Jander to sending to Caramon.  _Caramon.  Remember how you said I had to learn how to fight at night? _

            _Hi Nire.  And I sure do! _

            _How about right now? _

            _Sure thing!  Come on over! _  His tone was enthusiastic.  The boyish enthusiasm caused Nire to take pity on the gullible man and warn him of her mood.

            _I'm really coming to work off some anger - I need a fight.  Can Flint and Tanis be there?  Three on one? _

            _I'll ask them, Nire.  But come on over anyway. _

            _Sure. _  She switched back to Jander.  _He said yes. _

            "Well, little one?  Ready?"

            "A'most."  She pulled out a wrapped bundle.  Her mother watched in slight amazement.  "Mmkay, that's it.  Your room first, my friend.  I'll change there, and see if Az wants to come and watch."

            "Who's Az?" was Nire's mother's immediate response.

            "A person," Nire snapped.  "Let's go, Jander.  If you're coming, mum, come."

            Jander fashioned a gate, and the two went through.  Nire's mother appeared a few seconds later, looking slightly dizzy.

            Nire immediately said, "Both of you out, so I can change."

            Jander shut the gate and led Nire's mother out.  They stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment.  Jander sent out his mind, searching for Azrael.  With a single touch, he could tell that the lad was bored out of his mind.

            _Hi Jander!  Did you bring Nire back with you?  Ya know, you guys really have to teach me how to make a gate.  I am bored silly, right now. _

            _Yes, she's with me, but not for long.  She's angry, she needs to cool off, she's going to have a fight with some of her other friends.  I'm going to watch.  Are you coming? _

            _Be right up! _

            "She's serious, isn't she," Nire's mother suddenly asked.  "She's really going to go…swordfight with…"

            "Her friends," Jander supplied.  "Don't worry, I've watched her before.  She's _extremely_ skillful.  I would never wish to be an enemy of Nire's."

            One of them would have said something more, but they were interrupted by a string of loud curses from Nire.

            "Jander!" she whined, without opening the door.  "I left my hair-ties at home.  Do you have any?"

            "Check my bag, little one," he called back.

            Five seconds later, "They're not there!"

            "Are you decent?"

            "No," she said sarcastically.  "I'm running around in my underwear, looking for a hair-tie.  *Stupid elf. *"

            Jander laughed and opened the door.  "Okay, little one.  Toss me my bag."

            He began to rummage through it.  Nire's mother walked in and gasped.  Jander glanced up to see what it was, and followed her gaze to Nire.  Jander's eyes smiled.  Nire was bedecked in her finest.  There was her tunic and trousers, which were probably enough to shock her mother.  But, she also had a sword on either side of her waist.  He could see a knife tucked in each boot, and eh was sure there were more hidden on her person.  She was a changed girl, her left hand resting easily on the hilt of her sword, relaxed and self-assured.  His fingers touched what he was looking for.

            "Found it, little one."

            She took it, and stared at it for a moment.  Then she held it back out to him.  "You gotta do it for me.  I need it French-braided.  You know the drill.  I still can't do it myself."  She turned around and he began the job, with hands made deft from practice.

            "Why do you need it braided?" Nire's mother asked.  She had resigned herself to what Nire was doing, for now, and gave in to her curiosity.

            "Loose hair is easier to grab."

            Jander added to that, "If you can get someone's hair, you can jerk their head back and slit their throat."  He realized after that was out that it was probably not a good thing to say to a mother.  "Hold this."  He set Nire's hand on the end of the braid, and wrapped the bit of leather around it.  "All set, little one."

            Azrael burst in at that moment.  "*Ready to go, guys?  Hey!  Who's that? *"

            "*My mum. *  Next gate, Jander.  *If you're going to come with us, Az, I'll have to cast a spell on you so you can understand my native tongue and the Common of Krynn. *"

            Azrael nodded warily.  He didn't particularly trust magic being cast on him, but since it was Nire, he allowed himself to be put through it.  Nire's mother watched in interest as she quickly cast the spell.

            "This is weird, Nire," he said.

            "Yeah, it is.  Let's _go_."

            Jander fashioned the gate.  Nire always assumed it didn't affect him.  He didn't get tired, but it did take energy.  Which made him hungry.  After five or six gates, he was starving and could barely control himself until he got some blood into him.  He knew to make the gate to the alley behind Otik's Tavern.  Caramon _always_ met them there, at the tavern.  Nire strode around to the front and in, with Azrael following closely behind.

            "After you, ma'am."  Jander ushered Nire's mother in before him.

            Nire was already seated at a table with her friends.  "*Where are we going? *"  
            Jander offered to translate for Nire's mother, which she gratefully - if slightly mistrustfully - agreed to.

            "The back of Flint's house, where he taught me 'n' Sturm to fight," Caramon told her.  "Who's she?"

            "My mother."  Greetings quickly went around.  "Let's go."

            They walked to their destination, Nire up front with Caramon and Flint, Jander walked with Nire's mother in the back.  The rest were in a clump in the middle.  They quickly reached Flint's house.

            "Ma.  This is Caramon, Flint, Tanis, Tas, and Tika.  Tas, if I find _anything_ in them bags o' yours that's not your own, I'll cut off all your fingers _and_ your topknot.  That includes things that 'fall' in.  Understand?"

            Tas nodded.  "But Nire-"

            "Uh-uh.  No buts.  Let's go, guys."

            The ones who weren't fighting moved back, far out of the way.  Watching Nire battle was always fun for her friends, because she was so good at it.  When Nire's mother realized that it was going to be a three on one fight, she opened her mouth to protest.

            Jander touched her shoulder, and her mouth snapped closed.  "Please," he said quietly, "I can see what you're thinking.  Do not worry.  Caramon, for all his size, is like a big kitten, and Flint is like a gruff teddy bear.  Tanis is Tanis.  They won't hurt her.  But the four of them _need_ their concentration to be able to stop their blades in time.  Please keep relatively quiet, I beg of you."

            Nire surveyed the spectators.  She guessed that all they could see were dark outlines.  "Think Raist will want to watch this?"

            "Ask him, Nire," Caramon told her.

            _Raist.  We're behind Flint's.  Me and the guys are having a kickass session.  Coming? _

            _Okay, Nire. _ This would give Raistlin a chance to see his favorite teenager somewhere other than his depressing tower.

            "He's coming, so let's wait for him."  Nire finally noticed Azrael, standing slightly behind Jander.  "Oh, hey guys, that's Azrael.  Damn, man, you've been _quiet_."  Raistlin appeared.  "Hi Raist!  That's my mum and that's Azrael.  This is Raistlin.  Move outta the way so we can start."

            "Hello, Nire."  He obediently went to stand with Jander, ignoring the two he was introduced to.  Nire's mother did not like the mage, and it was obvious.  Then again, she didn't like any of them.

            "Well, my friends, how are you going to begin this?"

            "Sneak attack," Tanis immediately said.  "Jander?"

            The elven vampire came forward and covered Nire's eyes as she joked, "What?  You don't trust me to keep my eyes closed?"

            "No!" was the chorused response from everyone, save her mother.

            Nire grinned.  The only one out of the three of them who was any good at this particular game were her and Tanis.  And she wouldn't be hiding.  She heard where Caramon stopped, and the same for Flint - _he_ didn't even hide.  She only had to watch for Tanis.  Standard rules for this game were no telepathy to fins the other's positions, but beyond that, everything goes.  Her grin grew.  This would be fun!

            Jander dropped his hand.  "Good luck, my little friend."  He moved back out of the way, leaving her to stand around in the middle of the cleared space.

            Nire's eyes immediately sought the place where Flint was standing.  He coolly met her steely gaze.  She stood up straighter and her arms crossed, each hand resting easily on a sword hilt.  She could feel the comfortable weight of the knives hanging under her pants, and the slight press of the knives in her boot.  The leather of her wrist-sheathes chafed slightly, and she made a mental note to check them later, adjust them when the fighting was done.  Flint already had his battle-axe in hand, and swung it experimentally.

            "So," she said conversationally, "where's Tanis?"

            Unfortunately for her, his eyes never wavered from hers.  "I don't know.  Where's Caramon?"  He knew that she had to know where the mercenary was.

            Nire fought the urge to glance to the side she knew Caramon was on, and won.  Flint swung his axe once more, and began to advance.  Nire easily drew her sword, smiling slightly at the hiss of the metal against leather.  She twirled the sword in her hand, and ended with the tip pointing straight at the advancing dwarf.

            She silently cursed the full moon and the weak moonlight that bathed them.  It was just enough for her to be able to see by.  The night-fight wouldn't be giving her any true experience.

            Flint charged suddenly with a roar.  Nire heard her mother gasp.  As she swung her sword up to block the down arc of his axe, she blocked out the world, save for any threats to her safety.  To her, only her sword and his axe existed at the moment.  As she drew her other sword, hoping to 'kill' Flint before anyone else intervened, but she heard Caramon moving.  She barely got her sword out in time to block the swing of his sword.  She caught it wrong, and the force jarred her arm.  She couldn't properly deflect anything on that side for a few moments.

            Beset by Flint on one side and Caramon on the other, Nire feverishly warded off their blows.  She wouldn't have to worry about Tanis, yet.  She knew that he would wait until she was tired, and then attack.

            As Caramon's sword was coming in from the side for another blow, a cloud passed over the moon, plunging them into complete darkness.  A moment of panic gripped Nire as she tried to picture where his sword was and bring hers up to block it.  She instinctively let her instincts take over and brought her sword up - and was rewarded by a clash of steel.  She heard a whoosh and struck out with her other sword, and was delighted to feel Flint's axe go flying out of his hands.  He hadn't expected her to block it, and had planned on getting her good with the flat of the head.  Quickly reversing the swing of her right hand sword as the cloud passed, the left still warding off blows from Caramon, she darted in for the 'kill', her sword stopping a hairsbreadth from the tough dwarf's throat.  He nodded in acknowledgment and backed off.  Nire knew that had been pure luck, but she was pleased nonetheless.  The Caramon-Tanis duo had always been her downfall, since she had become good enough to beat Flint and Caramon.  But, so far, he luck was holding good.  Perhaps…

            She put her body on autopilot as her ears quested for Tanis.  As her ears trained futilely, she automatically differentiated from the noise of the spectators and foreign noises.  Unfortunately, her autopilot was not enough.  Caramon's sword slammed into hers, numbing her grip.  Her sword dropped out of her nerveless hands.  She threw herself backwards, rolling away from him.  She came up in a crouch, listening for movement.  There was another cloud, throwing her in darkness.  She could hear her own panting breath and pounding heart, distracting her.  She fought to tune her own body out, and slowly became aware of creeping footsteps and Caramon breathing.  If her giant friend wasn't the one moving, it must be Tanis.  She waited, praying that the moon would return.  She heard the quiet footsteps stop, and threw herself to the side.  The whoosh of his blade and the flat of it slapping her boot told her she had been just in time, and then she was away.

            The cloud passed and once more she could see the shadowy figures.  Tanis' flame-colored hair looked black in the moonlight.  He tugged his sword out of the dirt and circled her warily.  She backed away, the sword that was left in her hand in guard position.  Her other sword was behind Caramon.  She would have gone through him to get it, but decided it wasn't worth it, and she switched her blade to her right hand - her strong hand.  She watched the two advancing males closely, trying to determine who would strike first.  IN the daylight, it was easy.  She could watch their eyes, their facial expressions, every little nuance of their bodies, to see what they were planning and signaling to each other.  But in the dark…everything was in shadow.

            Caramon feinted to her left with his sword.  Although every instinct screamed for her to protect her open side, she didn't fall for the faked attack.  Her attention swung to Tanis, ands he blocked his lunge, returning it with a blow of her own.  She saw Caramon coming out of the corner of her eye and threw herself backwards again, coming up with a knife in her left hand.  A knife in a swordfight wasn't very effective, but with two people against her and only one sword, it was better than nothing.

            She decided to take the offensive - defensive wouldn't win her the fight.  Her forward movement surprised her adversaries, ands he managed to hit Tanis on the shoulder with the flat of her blade.  Caramon easily blocked her knife and knocked it away from her person, but she managed to retain her grip on the sharp blade.  He struck out at her, and instead of backing away, she moved in closer to him and caught the hilt of his sword with the hilt of her knife.  Tanis could not strike now for fear of hitting Caramon.  The bulky mercenary began to force Nire's blade back towards her own body.  She knew that she could never win a strength contest with him, so she quickly came up with a plan.

            She suddenly let go of her own knife, stepping around him the opposite way form his sword.  As he stumbled slightly forward, that out her directly behind him.  She flicked back her wrist, sending the knife in her wrist-sheathe into her hand.  She swore as it sliced through the pad of her thumb - she hadn't put them on properly, which was why they were chafing, so it came out wrong.  As she warded off Tanis, she pressed the flat of the blade against Caramon's throat.  He dropped his sword and backed away, acknowledging his 'death'.

            She turned her full attention to Tanis, her last challenge.  They circled each other warily, like warring wolves.  A cloud passed in front of the moon _again_, and it started to rain.  No, not rain.  The skies opened and a deluge of water poured down on them, creating instant mud on the dry ground.  Nire took a chance and shoved her sword into its scabbard as she dived for where she thought Tanis was.  The result of her pathetic attempt was a face full of mud.  She shrieked in anger - her mouth was full of mud, her thumb was still bleeding, and it was raining on her.

            "Are you okay, Nire?" Tanis asked, suddenly concerned.

            _Fatal mistake,_ Nire thought to herself as she tried the same trick in the new direction.  Contact was achieved!  In a timely happenstance, the moon briefly shone as they fell, and she managed to pin his sword arm.  A quick flick of her other wrist, and her other knife flicked out (the first being lost in the mud), slicing the palm of her hand.  She grasped the hilt anyway, blood running down her arm, and pressed the flat of the blade to his throat.  That was her favorite method - slitting the throat.  Thunder crashed nearby at that moment, leaving everyone's ears ringing and their eyes blind from the lightning.  As the afterimage faded from in front of Nire's eyes and during the dead silence that followed, she was painfully aware of her wheezing breath - goddamned asthma - pounding heart, rushing blood, and Tanis' wrist under her knee.  The silence was loud in her ears, and she jumped when Tanis spoke.

            "You won, lass.  You finally did it."

            As the rain continued to pour down and soak everyone, Nire got up, slightly shocked, and gave her friend a hand up.  That was suspiciously easy to her.  Did they let her win, would they do that?  No, they wouldn't, she decided as elation began to fill her and she wiped the mud off her face with her sleeve.  She began to grin.

            "She won!" Tanis yelled to the spectators.  "Far and square!  The lass did it!"

            A general, "Way to go Nire!" was sounded, and she was suddenly enveloped in a group hug, sans Jander and Azrael.

            The elven vampire and the teen stood off to the side with Nire's mother.  Jander could smell the blood flowing from Nire's cuts, and he was hungry.  He could control himself, yes, but he did not feel comfortable in the group.  Azrael was definitely _not_ comfortable around the people, so he stayed near the person he felt safe near.

            "Hey, guys, can you find my sword and my two knives for me?" Nire asked as the rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun.  They fell to the task, knowing that if they were left in the mud… Even Raistlin helped a little.  Nire was hurt by the fact that Jander didn't seem to care about her victory, and tried to hold her pain in check as she walked toward him.  Suddenly, she realized that both of her cuts were still drizzling blood.  Perhaps that was why…

            With his enhanced night vision, Jander could see the emotional pain on her face that she quickly masked, even though it was dark.  He didn't know what caused it, but swept her up in a big hug when she reached them.

            "*Good job, little one.  I'm proud of you. *"

            "Thanks, Jander."  She smiled at him - not a grin, not an eye-smile, not a smirk, but a _smile_ - and he was shocked by how radiant it made her look.  He decided to try to make her smile like that more often.

            "Number one, dinner's on me at the tavern for everyone.  Number two, what happened to your hands?"

            Nire automatically tried to hide them, but Jander grabbed her wrists so he could see.  Nire's mother gasped at the blood, but Jander merely nodded.  They weren't that bad - superficial wounds.  But, superficial wounds in a fight that was supposed to have no wounded.

            "It's the damned wrist-sheathes.  I put them on wrong, so the knives came out wrong.  They're shallow.  I'll survive."

            He dropped her wrists and she finally noticed Azrael staring at her in open amazement.  "You're _good_," he said.

            "Obviously," she shrugged.  The others came up, carrying her lost weapons and handing them back to her.

            "*Dinner's on me, tonight. *" Jander repeated.

            "*Hey Flint, can I use your house to clean up? *" Nire asked the dwarf, to which he nodded.

            "*We'll meet you at Otik's, *" Jander told the group.  They set off in good spirits while he waited for Nire with Azrael and her mother.

            "Where did she go?" Nire's mother demanded.  "And where are they going?"

            "Nire's getting cleaned up in Flint's house, and they're all going to Otik's Tavern to wait for us, since Nire finally managed to beat them."

            "What was that all about, anyway?"

            Jander could clearly see that the woman was out of her element and slightly scared.  "The three of them have been teaching Nire how to fight, which she is scarily good at, I must admit.  Her ultimate goal has been to beat the three of them in a fair fight.  Tonight, she accomplished that.  So, we're celebrating."

            Nire came back out, most of the mud off her.  "Let's go, my friends.  I'm hungry."  Her face was still red - almost purple with exertion, and Jander could hear her heart working overtime, but she had managed to slow her breathing and take out the wheeze.  Her pulse jumped enticingly in her neck, and Jander had to tear his eyes from it.  Both of her hands were nicely bandaged and her weapons were cleaned off.

            When they sat down with their friends, Jander waited to see if Nire would take over the job of translator.  Of course, she didn't - she had been ignoring her mother and would continue to do so.  Jander began to softly translate everything that was said for the woman.

            "Do you want the usual, Nire?" Tika asked.

            "Not today."  She let her eyes flick to her mother to explain why she wasn't going to have her favorite wine with the meal.  "I'll have the usual cheeseburger, but bring a…pitcher of water."

            "Have more than a cheeseburger, little one," Jander told her.

            "Nah.  I'm not that hungry."  She grinned at him.  "This just means you'll owe me, no?"

            "I guess so, little one."

            The meal was a happy one.  Nobody questioned Jander on why he wasn't eating or drinking anything.  He got to know Nire's mother better, ands aw that her protective response to all of them was wearing off.  He thought that odd - she had known him for less than a day, and she already seemed to trust her daughter with him.  Hell, she seemed to trust _everyone_.  Maybe he was just paranoid - after all, he had no children, so he didn't know…

            As the men - Azrael included - slowly and surely got more and more shit-faced, Nire and Jander shared a Look.

            "Satisfied, Ma?  I'm safe here?  The guys'll protect me, and I can protect myself?"

            "I suppose you can," she said slightly dubiously.

            "Then I'll have Jander take you home, and I'll be home later.  Okay?"

            "All right."

            A look of hurt flashed over Nire's face as Jander made the gate.  Once her mother was gone, she looked disdainfully at her friends - even Tanis was drunk, and Raistlin had already left.

            "I don't want to stay here, Jander.  Can we go somewhere?  Anywhere?"  What should have been a triumphant day for Nire had been ruined by her mother.  A mother who was overprotective when she didn't need to be and under protective when it was needed.

            "I'll take you to  a place I know of, beautiful and quiet, if you make a gate for Azrael to get back tot eh inn.  Or, the three of us can just go there."

            "I'll make Az a gate."  She went over and grabbed the teen's shoulder.  "Let's go, Az.  Unless you want to stay here all night, but we're leaving."

            Az stumbled up.  Jander and Nire got him to the inn, and out him to bed.  Nire grinned at the thought that he was going to feel like a truck ran over him tomorrow.  She knew from experience that his head would be _pounding.  From Azrael's room, Jander gated to his 'secret place'.  He had always wished he could go back to the place again, and Nire had given him a way.  The place was second in beauty on to the grove where his curse had been temporarily annulled by the goddess._

            They were in the middle of a green glen.  Next to them was a river, which Jander quickly moved away from.  It sparkled over the side of a cliff, and Nire would bet that there was a small pool below perfect for swimming.  Willow trees lined the edge of the river.  She wished she could see it in sunlight - she wished _Jander could see it in sunlight._

            "I come here a lot, now, to thing," he commented quietly.

            "I can see why," she murmured.  Then she turned to him, her eyes haunted.  "Did you see how easy it was for her just to leave me here?  She didn't have enough time to figure out if you guys were a danger or not.  If that had been Kerry, she never would have left her alone.  I swear, _nobody cares about me.  I'm going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere, because no one cared enough to make sure the people I was with were safe."  She turned away, as she tended to do after revealing something like that, and stared out at the valley below._

            Jander came up behind her and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.  "No you wouldn't, because I would be there.  I may not be much, but at least it wouldn't come to that."

            Nire sighed heavily.  "Yeah, I suppose so."

            She was about to say something more, but a teenage boy, with marble features and ethereal beauty made more so by the fact that he was dressed completely in black, materialized on the other side of the river.

**(A/N:** Da da dun.  Is that a good cliffhanger?  Yes?  No?  Guess what guess what guess what!  In exactly…okay, it's too late for me to do math (1:45am).  But on December 15, it is my birthday!!!!!  Yay!!!!  And guess how old I'm turning!!!  16!!!!  And guess what else!!!  My asshole parents won't let me get a learner's permit!!!!  Boo!!!!!!!  Anywho, I hope you liked this.  The next chapter won't be up tomorrow, cuz it's barely even started yet.  Hey, know what signifies that you have no life?  When you've written a fourteen chapter story in Verdana font, size eight, and it's 79 pages.  Especially when you're nowhere _near done with the story.  *sigh*  Okay, I'm done.  I'm glad you read, I beg you to review, and I hope you enjoyed!  Fare thee well!  I must now go call Katie to invite her to my party.  Have I mentioned that we're going to see the new James Bond movie (isn't that a sweet-deal video for theme song?  I __love that song!) and then going out to eat!  Lotsa fun!  Okay, I'm seriously done now.  See what late hours do to people?  Gods-damned insomnia…**)******_


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

(A/N:  Where'd all the people go?  Too few people reviewed the last chapter…)

Disclaimer:  Simon and Zoe don't belong to me.  Unfortunately, I don't remember _who they belong to.  The book is called The Silver Kiss, though, if that helps.  If I got anything wrong having to do with them, its not my fault.  I didn't read the whole thing, just the 'good' parts as I flipped through.  Then it was due back at the library.  *shrug* Oh well.  Ummm…Jander belongs to WotC.  Nire, Azazel of Belasarius, and everything of Azazel's belongs to ME!!!!!!  R/R/E_

            Simon could feel himself begin to fade.  It wasn't unpleasant - in fact, it felt pretty good.  When he had decided to attempt this, he wasn't sure if he would become mortal once more or actually turn into a sunbeam.  The last thing he felt was Zoë's arms around him and her love giving him the strength not to run from the deadly rays.

            He felt himself becoming solid again, and fought back a cry of bitter disappointment.  But, perhaps he was in heaven.  Or hell.  Looking around, Simon decided it must be heaven.  Until he heard the mortal heartbeat and smelled the distinct scent of a vampire.  Looking across the small stream, he saw them - a young girl and a young-adult vampire.

            He felt moisture pricking at the backs of his eyes and he fought it back.  He was still condemned to his hell, but now in another would, and without Zoë.  He fought back a wail of anguish.

            Nire glanced at Jander.  This was decidedly odd.  He looked to be from her world.  "What's your name?"  She called over in English.

            Jander moved slightly in front of Nire - he could tell the 'boy' was a vampire - as Simon answered.  "Why?"  His self-reservation instinct - and the paranoia that went with it - was kicking in.

            Nire could tell he wasn't going to be easy, and she didn't have the patience to deal with another Azrael.  So, she went digging, to see what his beef was.

            Her visage immediately went to sympathetic.  "Oh, no, you didn't," she said softly.  "Didn't you know this would happen?  When you become a sunbeam, it isn't literal.  The sunbeam takes you to another world, to start anew."  She saw the utter defeat in his eyes, and felt sorry for him.

            "And I can't ever go back?"  The defeat in his voice disgusted him.

            "Why would you _want to go back"? Jander asked.  Nire glanced at him quickly.  He sounded like he had experience.  She looked back at the boy quick enough to see the look on his face._

            "You've got a girl back there, don't you?"  Nire began to get angry on behalf of womankind everywhere.  "What kind of asshole _are you?  That's the kind of shit you pull __after she's dead, or you've broken up with her.  And I'll bet you made her watch."  She stalked off into the woods, making a point._

            Jander looked at the boy, at the slowly crumpling face, and took pity on him.  "Don't worry, she'll be back, and she'll help.  Give her five minutes or so to get over her women's anger."  He wished he had enough energy to gate the lad back to his home.  He knew the upheaval caused by changing worlds.

            He was right - Nire stalked back ten minutes later.  "You want to go back?"

            Simon warily nodded.  He wanted to go back so badly.  Even if he wasn't mortal.  But he wasn't sure he trusted these people.

            "Picture where you were right before you came here, and I'll put you there the night after."  Nire hopped over to his side of the stream and picked the place from his mind.  Then she quickly fashioned a gate.  Simon stared in fascination but backed away in fear.  It was the fear fire instilled in him, and the sun.

            "Step through this, and you'll be there.  I know, it screams danger at you.  But it won't hurt you.  What have you to lose?"

            She was right.  He had nothing to lose.  Simon steeled himself and walked through the area.  Right before he went through, he squeezed his eyes shut tight.  The next thing he knew, he stumbled over a bench.  Opening his eyes, he saw he was back.  And it was nighttime.  Letting out a shout of joy, he began to run to Zoë's house.

*  *  *  *  *

            Zoë threw herself down on her bed and began to sob.  She had made it through the day without Simon.  But once night fell, it finally hit her that he was really dead.  He was happy when he died, but…  Sobs wracked her body.

            She almost shrieked when someone touched her shoulder.  No one should be in the house - her father wasn't due back until the morning, probably.  Lifting her face from her pillow, she saw that it was Simon, standing by her bed.  But he couldn't bet here.  He was dead.  He had turned into a sunbeam.

            "Yes, I'm real, Zoë."

            She slowly lifted up a hand to touch his marble cold face.  The touch quickly turned into a caress as she felt his solidness.  Simon leaned into the warmth of her hand, smiling happily.  He bent down and began to kiss the salty tears off her face, ending on her lips.

            "How are you here?" Zoë asked around the kiss.

            "A mortal angel sent me back.  In other words, I don't know.  I'll tell you the story later."  Simon kissed her again, slicing her lip to taste her blood.  She was real.  He was real.  _They were real._

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire sighed as Jander turned to her.  "You do realize you just _seriously messed with fate and the gods," he said._

            "Yes, and I don't care.  Don't you _dare go off on me tonight."  Nire turned back tot eh view she couldn't see in the dark._

            Jander came up behind the young girl and put his hands on her shoulders.  He was pleased when she didn't pull away.  "I wouldn't dream of it, little one."  He began to massage her tight shoulder muscles.  "Little one, one day, the world will fall into place for you.  Be patient."

            She snorted.  "If you say so."

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire began her research.  She needed to find out all she could about Azazel of Belasarius and his tower.  Her search was relatively fruitless.  She had to go and find out for herself.  She would have to search the forests of Tethyr for herself.

            On Saturday morning, Nire prepared to be gone all day, and through part of the night.  She went out to the kitchen before she dressed.  Her dad was outside, and her sister was down at Jill's house.

            "Ma.  I'm going to be gone all day and probably part of the night.  In case Dad asks, now you have time to come up with something."  She headed back to her room.

            "Wait!" her mother called.  "I want to talk to you."

            "It'll have to wait until I come back.  Or tomorrow.  See ya."  Nire shut the door to her room and quickly changed.  She didn't take many weapons, only one sword and a few hidden knives.  Then she gated to the heart of the Tethyrian forest.

            It was quiet.  _Too quiet, she thought dryly.  She took a moment, turning in a full circle, to orient herself.  No animals were making noise, which Nire found odd.  But, she decided it was because of her sudden appearance.  Flickering in the trees drew her attention toward the sky.  The air shimmered slightly, which she attributed to the rising heat.  However, there was no shimmering in front of her, only above the trees.  Could that be heat waves?  Nire forgot to take into account the fact that it was winter and too cold for heat waves.  Even in Tethyr.  She found a couple rocks nearby, and made a pile, marking the place so she would know if she came back to it.  And, that would make it easier to gate to the place._

            Nire headed away from the shimmering, deciding to work outwards from the center in relatively straight lines.  As she wandered through the wood on that sunny day, she felt eyes upon her and caught flickerings in the trees.  But she soon disregarded it as animals, too lazy to send out her mind and make sure.  She was confident that she could take care of any danger that came her way.

            As the day wore on, and the light grew dimmer, and darkness was falling, she found herself back in the exact same place she had gated to.  She was immediately struck by the odd silence.  As she had gotten farther from the place, animals had began making noises.  But here, once again, it was oddly silent.  Nire swore as she noted the pile of stones she had made -the cairn to mark her stop.  This was going to be much harder than she had first anticipated.  Perhaps she would have to postpone the giving for a while, if she couldn't find the place.  Or, come up with a spell of her own.  She looked up and saw that the shimmering was still there.  It gave her a slightly bad feeling, for some unknown reason.  But it was just heat rising.  She shrugged to herself and moved towards it, the opposite way from which she had gone.  She _had_ said that she would be gone for a while.  She could search all night if she wanted.  Her stomach growled - she hadn't eaten anything all day - but she ignored it.  That could wait, too.  She took a quick sip of water as she continued.

            She had only taken a few steps before the world shimmered around her and changed before her eyes.  She was now in a labyrinth - a maze of hedges.

(A/N:  Well, was that a good cliffhanger?  I have absolutely no idea if mine are good or not, so someone please tell me!  Sorry for the shortness, but I wanted to stop at a good part.  And that looked good.  Ummm…I don't know when the next chapter will be up.  Me and my sister have this thing going, to prove who the better writer is (me, obviously), so I have to work on that original tale.  Oo, maybe a cliffhanger (that might not be a cliffhanger) isn't a good thing… Too bad for you people.  Would you mind if I posted an unfinished chapter, then finished it later?  Yes?  No?  Talk to me here!  Thank for reading, I hope you review, and I pray you enjoyed!)


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

(A/N:  My most sincere apologies on the length of time that it took me to update.  Writer's Block's a bitch.  Yeah, you all know what I'm talking about - you know the major points, but can't figure out how to connect them.  And, then, of course, it got put to the wayside so I could work on all the other materials I've been cranking out.  So, if you want me to email you to tell you the next time I update, send a quick note to Mystra1215@hotmail.com and I'll do my best.  R/R/E!)

Disclaimer:  Nire is mine.  As is anything having to do with Azazel of Belasarius.  Nire's walking song is, as she states from 'Lord of the Rings', and owned by JRR Tolkein.  And, yes, I did actually memorize it and put it to tune.  The land of the Lythari belongs to WotC, however, the five Lythari are mine.  Makaila is mine.

            Nire automatically froze as everything changed.  She had always been able to sense if there was magic near.  Why hadn't that particular talent worked this time?  Was it failing her?  Oh, that would just top off everything that had been happening to her lately.  This was most definitely the place she was looking for.  However, she was not prepared to go venturing today.  She had only planned to find the place, memorize its location, then go home and collect everything she would need - namely another person or two for backup.  She turned to go backwards, to exit from the maze.  Much to her dismay, she took half a step and was barred from continuing any further.  There was an invisible wall, from the ground to the sky (At least, as far up as she could reach).  And it extended from wall to wall.  Nire let out a string of curses, swearing at the dead mage, her bad luck, and the world in general.

            Once she was done flipping out, Nire quickly fashioned a gate.  She wasn't sure if it would work - with her luck, it wouldn't even come close.  But, to her surprise, it formed.  Granted, she could sense something was wrong with it - it was supposed to go to her room, but she didn't think it did.  Nor was it stable, flickering in and out insanely.

            Well, she could either continue on - something she was not ready for today - or try the tenuous gate.  If the gate went wrong, she could be stuck in limbo forever between worlds.  But if she continued, with only the barest of weaponry and magic, she would surely die.  Damned if she did and damned if she didn't.

            Nire long-windedly cursed her luck again, not feeling the two ancient pairs of eyes that were watching her from a scrying pool.  She'd try the gate - she had always wondered what limbo was like.  Stepping through, she wholly expected to find herself in some hellish place.

            The actuality of where she ended was a rather pleasant surprise.

            She was in a forest of tall, majestic trees - an eldritch version of the Tethyrian Forest.  Their limbs stretched for the havens and spread out towards trees to the side, almost fully obscuring the sky above.  And yet, soft light still danced across the forest floor, golden shadows of the late afternoon.  There was not a soul in sight.

            Nire sighed desolately, muttering to herself, "Great.  So, not only am I completely *_lost_*, I'm all on my lonesome and completely lost.  Not even any natives to direct me to the nearest Mickey D's."

            Her eyes tracked flickering in the trees around her.  She could not decide if they were real or imagined, and it didn't matter anyway.   With a huff, she sat down on the forest floor.

            "Fine.  I'm just going to sit here until someone finds me."  Out of habit, she spoke the Common tongue of Faerûn.  She *_could_* attempt to gate out of wherever she was, however, since she wasn't one hundred percent positive *_why_* she had been thrown here, she wasn't going to risk a gate again.  Jander would find her soon enough when she never showed up or 'pathed to him to say good night, a habit she had grown into.

            Quickly bored with sitting, she got up and began to walk.  The reason why she didn't just 'path to the vampire elf for him to come get her was her insatiable curiosity.  Now that she over being pissed and had made her point to the powers that be, she wanted to explore and find out more about this freakishly beautiful place.

            As she walked, she had the distinct impression that she was being followed.  Eyes were on her back, on her sides, even watching from the front.  She did *_not_* like being surrounded.  Especially when she couldn't see who was doing the surrounding.  But happy butterflies fluttered around her stomach - she might get to fight people who weren't her friends.  This would be the first time she tested out her skills in a real battle.

            The scenery never changed as she walked.  It seemed as though the forest - and the twilight - never ended.  Her soft boots made nary a sound traveling across the soft mossy carpet of the forest.  Out of the corners of both eyes, she could see silver shadows racing along the forest floor and flitting between the trees.  But when she turned to look dead on, she saw nothing.  To say it was getting on her nerves was to say a whale was a little fish.

            She went in circles, wandering, hoping to stumble on something or for the people who were tracking her to appear.  She was on the move for hours.  The shadows never left her sides, ands he soon pushed them to the back of her mind.  As her feet took her where they willed, she sang her walking song.

            "Upon the hearth the fire is red, / Beneath the roof there is a bed; / But not yet weary are our feet, / Still round the corner we may meet / A sudden tree or standing stone / That none have seen but we alone. / Tree and flower and leaf and grass, / Let them pass!  Let them pass! / Hill and water under sky / Pass them by!  Pass them by!"

            When she was seven, and read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, she had memorized the words to the walking-song of the hobbits and put them to a tune.  She went through the three verses of the tune time and time again.  She was walking, wandering, and having fun.  Admittedly, it would have been much more enjoyable had Jander been on one side of her and Azrael on the other.  But, nothing was perfect in her life, nothing ever would be.

            Checking her watch, she saw that it was already midnight.  Before she tried to go back to her room, or to Jander's room, she wanted to know who had been following her.  She had managed to ignore whoever, or whatever it was and calm her annoyed nerves fort eh duration, but her curiosity finally overwhelmed her apathy.

            She stopped and looked around, sizing up the location and speaking to the shadows she knew were there.  "A'ight, I'm done playing your game and letting you follow me," she called out in Faerûnian Common.  "Why don't you come out where I can see you so I know who's been tracking me."

            She tried to read the minds, searching for any clues on the top layer.  But everyone had shields up, everything.  She knew that there *_were_* people following her, but beyond that, there was nothing.  Nothing at all.  That pissed her off royally, a self-righteous anger.

            After a pause, where the whole forest seemed to hesitate, five elves faded out of the forest to stand in front of her.

            To say they were elves was almost ludicrous.  They, their fey grace and eldritch aura, made Jander seem like a clumsy human.  Each sharply triangular face was pale as porcelain and framed by shimmering silver hair.  As they stood there, they regarded her, speaking in a language different from Common and the elven Jander spoke.  Different and even more beautiful to her ears.

            "We cannot let her remember any of this."

            "She is a human."

            "She is a danger."

            "She could sense we were near, which makes her even more of a danger."     

            Nire did not like the direction the whole conversation was heading in.  In typical 'Nire fashion', she spoke up, switching to their language.  "Yeah, um, first of all, I can understand you, so stop talking about me like I'm not here."  The fifth elf in the back, the one who had not spoken, smiled slightly in amusement.  Nire could see a potential ally in him.  "Second of all, no one's messing with her mind."  Her shields were up as tight as she could get them.  "And third of all," she stared at the last one who had spoken, "don't even *_think_* about that option."  One hand rested easily on the hilt of her sword.  She was more than ready for trouble.

            The one in the back spoke for the first time.  "She is but a child, Almohai."

            "That does not matter, Elbereth," spoke the one Nire assumed to be Almohai.  He appeared to be the leader of the all-male group.  "You know that.  She cannot be allowed to return and lead more *_humans_* back here."  He spat out the word 'humans' as though it was dirtying his mouth.

            "Who says I would?" Nire interrupted.  "You're making an awful lot of assumptions here."  It had become painfully obvious to her that they weren't going to allow her to leave alive, much less with her mind and memories intact.  Once more, the reasoning part of her brain had taken a while to catch up to her belligerent nature.  She had barely been able to defeat her three friends - although it galled her to admit it, what chance did she really have against five elves?  They would tear her to shreds.

            "How did you find your way here, anyway?" one of them asked.  They were slowly easing out to surround her.  It was fairly ridiculous to Nire's eye s- she was only one human.  Why the caution?

            "I'm not quite sure, to be quite honest.  I'd gotten lost in the Tethyrian Forest, and made a gate to go him.  It was all flickery and crazy, but I had nothing to lose, so I went though.  And now I'm here, even though I'm not sure where 'here' is."

            She started inching backwards and around to counter their slow circling action.  She knew that the question had merely been aimed to distract her, but didn't allow it to as she continued to slowly counter their movements.  Rule number two was never let the bad guys get behind you (rule one being the bad guys aren't allowed to attack you in your home).  Elbereth spoke up, hanging slightly back from the rest of the elves.

            "You are in the land of the Lythari."

            "And if you could fins your way here, you are much to dangerous to be allowed to run around Toril."  Almohai shot a glare at the Lythari who had said that.  By the look, Nire marked him as the young, inexperienced member of the group.

            "Ri-ight.  You're not going to let me just go home, are you?"

            Almohai shook his head grimly.  Nire could feel them attempting to break past her tight mental shields.  She wasn't having any of it, rudely thrusting them out, still backing away as they stalked her.

            "Uh-uh," she scolded.  "I told you.  No one messes with my mind."

            The backing away wasn't working as they moved faster than her until she was completely ringed in.  This did not bode well for her health and well-being.  She turned in a slow circle, eyes scanning the impassive faces.  When she was facing Elbereth, she stopped, her head cocked slightly, regarding him thoughtfully.  Sad green eyes met her gray ones regretfully.  To him, she was not a human, but a child.  She laughed silently to herself - this was the first time she was ever glad anyone say her as naught but a little lass.

            "Well," she said, still staring Elbereth in the eyes, "I could try to fight you all, but I'd probably lose.  Real nice world you guys have to live in."  Her stomach growled loudly.  "I'm starving, so I'm going home now, to get some grub."

            The Lythari shared a quiet snicker.  She said it so calmly, like it was an obvious thing.  She could not fight her way past them, five Lythari gatekeepers against one human child.  But as Elbereth looked into the girl's cool gray eyes, he saw something in there that told him, without a doubt, that she was serious.  She was going to leave, and they could not stop her.

            As a good guard, he should kill her now.  She was a human, obviously a powerful child-mage, and only a child.  He had been a Gatekeeper for almost a century, and was second in command of his group.  But, regardless of the species, he could not condone the murder of a child.

            Nire nervously said a quick prayer to any higher powers that were listening.  She was about to form the gate that would just allow her to disappear, a long-distance teleport.  If it had been something to do with her that had caused the other gate to malfunction, then this one might prove fatal.  Then again, why should she care?  Death would be a welcome respite from life.

            She grinned suddenly.  "Adios, muchachos!" was her farewell cry as she disappeared with a loud crack.  Immediately, everyone had their swords out, prepared for a fight.  But there was no one there.  Elbereth fought down a grin - she had shown Almohai.  The leader of their group was too arrogant, too full of himself.  It served him right to be bested by a human.  Almohai immediately made to try and find the girl, but Elbereth quickly put a stop to that.  He was not the leader, however he had the popular support of the other three Silver Shadows.

            "No we will not.  If a child is powerful enough to stumble into our realm, then there is most likely a powerful *_elven_* mage behind her.  Why make the enemy of an elf for killing his prodigy?  Besides," he added at the end, knowing it would hook the other three, "it's time to head back to base - our shift is over."

            "Yeah, let it go Almohai."

            "She was just lost."

            "She's not going to do anything."

            The haughty Lythari had no choice but to give in to the rest of the group.  That would put him in a dour mood for quite a few days, but Elbereth didn't care.  He fell to the back of the group as they spread out through the trees.  Once he was officially off-duty, he would travel to Toril and attempt to find the girl.  He felt this insane urge to apologize, besides, he liked her Devil-may-care attitude.  He could either do nothing for the rest of the day/night, or he could try to find this child.  Searching for a needle in a haystack was better than the boredom of following that same routine he had every day.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire sighed as she ended up in Tethyr again, in the woods.  She hadn't wanted to go home, not yet, nor go bug Jander.  She would eat her dinner here, in the middle of the forest, then proceed from there.  As he settled on the forest floor with her back against a tree, she pulled out a PBJ sandwich from the pouch hooked on her belt and untied her waterskin.  This was the first meal she had eaten in over twenty-four hours, and she was famished.

            The sandwich was finished, and Nire was brushing the crumbs off her legs when she caught a flickering in the trees.  Sighing, she took a long draught of her water as she rose to her feet, loosening her sword in its scabbard.  While she could not hear any sounds beyond normal forest chatter, she knew that there was someone out there.  Within moments, an elf - one of the Lythari - came into her sight.

            Without a thought, her swords hissed out of its scabbard, gleaming dully in the moonlight.  "I *_told_* you people to leave me alone!  I doubt I could even get *_back_* to your world.  Jesus!"

            Elbereth held up his hands in the universal gesture for peace, backing off slightly.  "Please, I mean no harm.  I wanted to apologize for his companions' behavior."  He spoke in Common.

            Nire, too, switched to that language, sheathing her sword.  "Yeah, well, sorries don't cut it in the real world."  She turned away and headed off in a random direction, intent on exploring more of the forest.

            Elbereth stood for a moment, watching her amble off through the trees, before gliding after her.  Not only did he feel bad about everyone planning on killing her, but also he did not want her to go off with such a low opinion of the Lythari.

            "Wait a moment!" he called out.

            Nire stopped.  "What?" she asked grumpily.  Fuck all this - she was going to go to wherever Jander was and try to get some sleep.

            "Um, look," he said uncertainly.  It suddenly struck him how similar her attitude was to that of Makaila, his child.  His child that had died in that awful fire.  "What could I do to make up for our rude behavior?"  Bright green eyes glittered slightly with unshed tears at the sudden memory of his daughter.

            "Noth-" Nire started, but paused thoughtfully.  "Actually, there is something.  Are you good with a sword?" she questioned, staring at him intently.

            He smiled lopsidedly.  "I'm fair with a sword and a quiver of arrows."

            Nire shook her head.  "Don't be so friggin' modest.  If someone were to pick the five best fighters of your world, would you be among them?"

            Elbereth cautiously nodded after a bit of consideration.  "I supposed so."  Why would she want to know that?

            "Ever heard of Azazel of Belasarius?" she asked, withholding all information until he answered.

            "The mage from before the Time of Troubles?" He nodded cautiously.  "Yes, I've heard of him.  Why?"

            "He's got something I need.  Or, rather, there's something I need in whatever's left of the tower at the center of the maze.  I need a fighter to watch my back when I go in."

            Elbereth nodded thoughtfully.  That didn't sound too bad.  There would be much of interest in the home of the famous mage, renowned even in the realms of the elves.  He might as well agree to it - now that he knew that the girl was planning on trying to make it through the maze and the tower, he could not very well let her go alone.

            "Alright.  When?"

            Nire paused to consider for a moment.  It would have to be a weekend, and soon.  "Seven days, meet me back here."

            "Now, wait," Elbereth protested.  "You know where the tower is?"

            A roll of her eyes indicated what she thought of the question.  "Of course I do.  And if I didn't, I'd bet you did.  Seven days at dawn."

            Before the Silver Shadow realized that he had never asked her name, she had strode off through the trees.  Well, he would find out in seven days.  That was good enough for him.

            Nire watched carefully as she walked away from the elf, making sure he was not following.  She'd bet anyone, anything that he was the one who had been sent to keep an eye on her to make sure she kept her mouth firmly shut.  It was late enough that she was tired, and *_still_* hungry.  After all, she had been moving all day and most of the night, and had only eaten one sandwich in the past day.  It was time for her to go to bed.

            _Jander! _ she called, feeling his awareness of her.  _I'm tired - I wanna go to bed.  Come get me. _

            He was there in an instant, making a gate and coming though.  Although he glanced curiously at her surroundings, he didn't ask.  "You want me to take you back to your bedroom, little one?"

            No, she didn't.  She had told her mother that she would be gone for a while, so she didn't have to go home at all.  She wanted to stay with Jander.

            "Nah.  Can I crash at your place?  Or are you on the move again?"  She looked at him with calm gray eyes, praying he would say yes.  She did not want to go home and be woken up early in the morning by the noise of her sister.

            Jander's eyes smiled at her.  "No, we're still holed up at the inn.  The snow there is pretty bad.  Come on."

            He ushered her through the gate that glowed a light blue to her eyes.  Once through, she found herself in a room like hundreds before it.  A brief thought crossed her mind, wondering why all rooms in all inns looked the same.  But now that she was in a warm room, in a place where she didn't have to worry about looking out for herself, she was exhausted.

            "What time do you want me to wake you up?" he asked solicitously as she began stripping herself of her weapons.

            "Never.  One of the advantages of having Mum know about you guys.  Don't you *_dare_* wake me up before I wake myself up."  She mock-glared at him.

            Jander smiled slightly in amusement.  "Okay, little one.  Whatever you say."

            She kicked off her soft boots, letting them drop to the floor, and yawned mightily.  As she yawned, she climbed into his bed, scooting way over onto the left side.  Jander pulled the blankets up around her, tucking her in, and rested his hand briefly on the top of her head.

            "Sweet dreams, little on."  She was already almost asleep and mumbled something unintelligible.

            Jander quietly blew out the candle he had lit and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

            Much, much later that evening -so much later that it was actually dawn - he returned to his room to sleep.  He had been lucky enough to snag a room with no windows whatsoever.  Nire was still there; sound asleep on his bed, sleeping on her right side.  For a long while, he stood there regarding her.  Although he supposed her could stay awake until she left, he was tired.  Should he sleep in the chair?  Would Nire mind if he got into the bed next to her?  Did she trust him enough to stay?  He honestly didn't want to find out, fearing the answer, but he wanted to sleep in the chair even less.  Gingerly, he slipped under the covers next to the girl, knowing it would wake her up.  She just rolled over so her back was to him and muttered something about stealing all the blankets.  He couldn't figure out whether she was warning him not to or telling him that she would.  Either way, it didn't matter.

            He gazed at the child's body next to him.  Not only had she extended him the warm hand of friendship for the first time in centuries, knowing what he was, but also she had given him the gift of trust.  She may not trust him not to emotionally hurt her, but she physically felt at complete ease with him.  She hadn't even woken up all the way like she usually did hen he came into the room.  The level of trust the child put in him, a creature of evil, astounded him.  It was the greatest gift she could ever give him, one he would remember long after her death.

            The reluctant vampire closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander woke up much later in the day, in the early afternoon.  With a shock of surprise, he realized that Nire was still there next to him, still sound asleep.  His left arm was now trapped under her body, acting as a sort of pillow.  She had moved over in her sleep so she was next to him, her warm body heating his cold side.  Ever so carefully, he began to ease his arm out away from her.  Vampires were supposed to be unable to move about and be awake during the daylight hours.  For Jander, that had been true for the first half-century.  But since then, as tonight, he couldn't sleep throughout the day, and even had trouble falling asleep in the first place.  He would awake partway through the afternoon and be stuck in a darkened house (or room) until nightfall.

            As soon as he began to move, Nire was awake.  "Damn it!  I was *_comfortable_*!" She sat up so he could have his arm back.

            "Sorry, little on.  I tried not to wake you."  He smiled sheepishly at her.

            Nire sat up and stretched, yawning, as Jander got up off the bed.  " 'S okay.  Where's your brush?  Toss it to me, will ya?"

            He took I tout of his pack and tossed it so it landed on the bed beside her.  As she began to run the stiff bristles through her wild curls, he took out a fresh block of wood and a carving knife.  When Nire was over, she did not need to have his full attention; oft time, they would both be silently doing separate things, merely enjoying the presence of the other body.

            After tying her hair back in a ponytail, Nire asked, "You want me to leave?"

            Jander's head snapped up, his silver eyes meeting her gray ones.  Had his ignoring her insulted her somehow?  It was almost standard operating procedure.  He did not want one of his few friends to be angry with him, especially not Nire.  Her warm little body next to him as they both slept, as wrong as it was, had an oddly calming effect on his rest.  Although he knew that the odds of a situation such as this occurring again were slim, she was the one he could count on to be there in an emergency.

            "Hello-o."  Nire's voice snapped him out of his reverie.  "Come back from LaLa Land, Jander."

            "Sorry, little one.  And, no, I don't want you to leave.  But won't your mother be worried about you?"

            Nire shrugged, pragmatically saying, "I'm not Kerry.  She's not going to care."  She stretched and yawned again, then shuddered as a chill passed down her spine.  "Oh my God, I am starving!  An, all I had to eat yesterday was a PBJ sandwich.  C'I'ave some money to go get something to eat?"

            Jander's eyes grinned happily at her as he pulled some coins out of his money pouch.  "Between you and Az, I'm going to go broke."

            Jander flinched slightly at the innocuous remark, even though she had meant it in fun.  Nire quickly straightened out her clothes and scrubbed an arm across her eyes to rub the sleep from them.  Shoving a couple of knives in her boots for safety, she stood and stretched once more, trying to get all the kinks from yesterday's walking out of her body.  As she walked out of the room, already wide-awake, Jander was struck by the sudden question of whether she slept with hidden weapons.  He could not picture her ever unarmed.

            When the girl had gone, coins happily jingling in her hands, Jander's attentions returned to the block of wood and knife in his hands.  He did not carve figurines from blocks of wood; he set free the objects that were already in them.  The pieces of material he carved from were already sculptures - he just had to shave off the extra pieces.

            So intent was he on the image slowly taking shape from the smooth wood block that he did not notice Nire coming back into the room.  Respecting his intense concentration, she flopped back on the bed.  There was no way in hell she would return home until she had to.  No one would ever have any idea how relaxing it had been to get out of her house for such a long time.  She felt… refreshed.  That was the word - refreshed.  She would have to figure out how to do this more often.

(A/N:  Don't forget, if you want me to notify you personally when I update, drop me a line at Mystra1215@hotmail.com, okay?)


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

(A/N:  I'm almost done with 'A World in a Grain of Sand', so this one should start being cranked out more regularly.  If you want to read more about Nire's adventures, her future adventures, check out 'A World in a Grain of Sand', 'All the World I've Seen Before Me Passing By', and 'Short Stories from Nireville'.  She's in 'em all.  They do, however, contain some spoilers, so… be warned.  If you haven't already, remember, drop me a line if you want me to notify you personally when I update.  Mystra1215@hotmail.com.  It's people who review and let me know that they're reading who inspire me to continue this horrifically long fic.  R/R/E!)

Disclaimer:  Nire is mine, as is Elbereth, Azrael, and anything having to do with Azazel of Belasarius.  Nire's family and house are mine.  Jander, Raitlsin, and Faerûn belong to WotC.  Gar and Alea belong to Christopher Stasheff.  The Lythari belong to WotC.  Almohai is mine.

            It was Friday afternoon.  Nire was nervously going through all of her supplies again, making sure she had everything.  There was every single weapon she owned, every single weapon accessory, spread out across her bed.  Everything she would need for any of the magic she knew was piled on her pillow.  The spells were all memorized in her head.  It would be beyond despicable if she forgot something and was stuck up a creek without a paddle.  She wasn't sure how much trust she could put in Elbereth.  The whole deal with the Lythariwould be so much easier were she to be dead.

            Nire finally flopped into her rocking chair, setting the relaxing creaky chair into its soothing motion.  Something gnawed deep in the pit of her stomach - nervousness.  She was worried about tomorrow morning's venture.  Khelben had filled her head with stories and legends of Azazel on that night.  She did not try to fool herself - there was the distinct possibility that she would not get out alive.  The thought of death made her nervous.  Not the realization that she would cease to exist - after all, who could prove to her that it was any different from before she was born?  No, it was the process that she feared - the pain of dying.

            It had finally sunk in that, in her attempt to get this gift for her friend, she might not survive.

            Nire immediately knew that she had to go and say goodbye to her friends without actually saying it.  She owed them that much for being there for her, for allowing her to invade their lives.  Absently, she wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek.  She'd miss Jander if she died most of all.  He of the golden heart and the dark secret, who had been there for her even when she had not wanted it.

            Nire suddenly laughed, a harsh sound in the deathly silence of her room.  She was getting herself worked up over nothing.  The thought of death was a distant impossibility.  She would survive, as always.  The ability of the gates would save her if things got hairy.

            But just in case…

*  *  *  *  *

            "See you later, Nire."

            The girl smiled at Gar and Alea.  "Yeah.  And, hey.  I just wanted to say…" She paused, trying to figure out what to say.  "Thanks for everything.  Thanks for putting up with me all these years, thanks for teaching me all that stuff.  I don't know what I would do without friends like you guys."

            She quickly turned and disappeared through the gate she had made.  Alea and Gar shared a Look.  That had been a decidedly odd visit.  There was almost a finality to it.  They turned together to go eat dinner; not needing to speak to know that was where the other was heading.  As they walked, Gar's hand brushed against Alea's.  A seemingly innocuous act, but Alea had to suppress the tingle that went down her spine and warm feelings that flowed through her whenever they chanced at physical contact.  It was too dangerous.

*  *  *  *  *

            Raistlin's hourglass eyes watched as Nire fashioned a gate.  "Leaving so soon, lass?"

            She smiled slightly at the term of endearment.  "Yeah.  Darkness has fallen.  I have to go talk to Jander and Az.  And then I need to go to bed.  I have to be up really early tomorrow."

            The mage nodded, still regarding the child who had managed to worm her way into his cold heart.  There was something off about her tonight, something he couldn't put his finger on.  The fact that something was wrong was clinched, however, when she came over and hugged him.  That was not even close to normal behavior for Nire.

            "See ya, man."  She disappeared before he could question her.

            _Jander, _ He sent out his mind to his best resource when it came to Nire.

            _Hello, Raistlin.  Nire just got here.  Do you want me to- _

            _No! _ Raistlin exclaimed.  _She's why I'm talking to you.  Keep an eye on her.  There's something… off about her tonight. _

            _All right.  I'll keep that in mind. _

            Raistlin would rest more easily now, knowing that he'd done his part.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire finally stretched and sighed; the time reached nine at night.  "All right; I have to go get some sleep.  Where's Az so I can say goodbye?"

            "He's down, eating.  The boy's got a bottomless stomach."  Jander found the question odd, though.  Usually, she just told him to tell the lad goodbye.  Then again, as Raistlin had forewarned him, she had been acting strangely all night.

            Nire trotted out to where Azrael's thoughts were emanating from.  He had just sat down to a big bowl of soup.  As she snagged the chair across from him, he looked up.

            "Hey, Nire."  A large spoonful of broth was slurped into his mouth.

            "Hey man.  Just came down to say bye.  I gotta go home."

            " 'Kay," Azrael responded.  "See ya later."

            "Yeah.  Bye."

            She returned to Jander's room to see him thoughtfully staring at the wall.  As son as she entered the room, though, he turned his head to meet her eyes.

            "Do you want me to gate you home, little one?"  He stood up, all the while searching her eyes for any clue as to what was up with her odd behavior.

            "Nah.  Like I said, I gotta be up early, so I gotta be tired enough to fall asleep right when I get home."

            Trying to get some information out of her, Jander queried, "Where do you have to go so early?"

            Nire shrugged a she fashioned a portal.  "Eh.  I have stuff to do.  Gotta see a man about a horse, ya know."

            Jander's brow crinkled slightly at the unfamiliar expression, but decided she meant that is was none of his business.  Surprisingly, Nire came over and gave him a quick hug, backing away before he could react.

            "I'll see you later, little one."  Something unidentifiable passed through her eyes when he said that.

            "Yeah.  G'night."

            "Sweet dreams," he called after her as she stepped through the gate.  Immediately, he contacted Raistlin.  At least, he tried to.  Unfortunately, the mage slept.

            That did not matter.  Jander would keep a mind out for the girl, a light telepathic touch she wouldn't feel.  If anything untoward happened to his little one, he would know.  Hopefully, he would know in time to help her, save her.  Come to the rescue like the gallant knight he wasn't.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire woke herself half an hour before dawn.  It was hard to force herself out of the warm cocoon of her snug blankets, but she did it.  She had warned her mother she was going to be gone all Saturday, meeting subsequent questions with vague answers.  By the time the sun crested the horizon, she had dressed, tied back her hair, and armed her self with metal and magic.

            She gated to where she had said she would meet the Lythari.  He was already standing there, awaiting her arrival.  The early morning sun shimmered on his short silver hair.

            "I never inquired your name last time," he immediately said.

            "Nire," she answered shortly, beginning to walk and expecting him to follow.  "You're Elbereth, right?"

            His footfalls made nary a sound as he followed her.  "Yes, I'm Elbereth.  Where are we going?"

            "To the entrance of the maze.  The only thing I know for sure is that, once you take a step forward, you can't go back.  Something blocks you.  And I'm assuming that any magic one tried to work gets fucked up.  The gate I made to get out of the labyrinth after I discovered I didn't go back was s'posed to go to my bedroom.  Went to your realm instead."  She stopped in the middle of the woods. "That there's the point of no return.  See the shimmering above the trees?"  She pointed up at the sky.  "That's some sort of shield that makes everything inside of it invisible.  Ready?"

            "Wait.  What about a plan?" he asked her.  "Don't you have some sort of plan?"

            Nire looked at him like he was an idiot.  "Yeah.  Get in; get out; stay alive.  Duh.  Ready?"

            "No!  We need *_some_* kind of plane," he tried to argue with her.

            "No we don't," she patiently reasoned.  "First of all, we don't know enough about the inside to formulate any type of plan.  Unless you know stuff that I don't."  Elbereth shook his head, so she continued.  "Besides, people only make plans so they have an excuse to be pissed off when something goes wrong and aid plans are shot to hell.  Ready?"

            "You're a bit eager," Elbereth commented.

            "Damn fucking right I am.  The sooner we get in, the sooner I find what I need and get home.  You ready?"

            Elbereth smiled slightly at her impatience, his bright green eyes sparkling.  "Lead on, lass."

            "It's Nire," she napped, stepping forward and disappearing.

            Elbereth appeared behind her in moments.  "Now what?" he asked her.  He would allow her to lead, allow her to direct him.  This was her adventure.

            "We walk, keep an eye out for danger, and hope we're not killed."  She set off walking, once more just assuming he would follow.

            Elbereth did follow, after attempting to move backwards.  She had been right - he was met by a smooth wall of invisible resistance.  They walked without incident for a while, moving in complete silence.  Well, not complete, because Nire hummed ditties to herself.  But she steadfastly ignored Elbereth.  He was there to back her in a fight, nothing else.  Butterflies fluttered through the girl's stomach.  She was going on an adventure!  She was going to kick some serious ass today.

            The stopped at the first fork.  "Which way, señor?" Nire asked.  "Fifty-fifty."

            "Well, to get to the center, you're always supposed to go left," he mused.

            Nire quickly thought that over.  Were this maze hers, she would make the way to the center be mainly through right-hand forks.  That would confuse veterans, and mess up newcomers even more.  "Then we go right."

            They set off down the right-hand side.  Nire continued to him happily, walking quietly for a human.  Elbereth followed, his step silent on the carpet of leaves.  The girl was on high alert now, knowing that this was when things would start to happen.  Had they gone down the right path, they would be safe.  But the wrong path would lead them to a trap of some sort.  From the back, she seemed an unconcerned child out for a walk.  But her eyes darted around, searching for anything out of the ordinary.  Her ears strained for sounds that weren't made by Elbereth.  Everything was deathly silent - no animals chattered in the bushes.

            They came to another fork, leaving Nire to assume that she had chosen the correct way.

            "Right again?" Elbereth asked.

            "Logic says eyes," Nire shrugged.  "But paranoia says if we were mart enough to figure out to go right, then we'll try to go right again.  This, make the correct way go left.  However, paranoia also says we'll figure this out, go left, thus the true path is right."

            He raised a silver eyebrow, fighting the urge to take over all decision-making.  "So we go…"

            Her shoulders rose and fell in a careless shrug.  "Left is right and right is wrong.  Let's go left."

            He followed her down the left path.  This was going to be interesting, to say the least.  Interesting and confusing.  The logic she used so far to determining which way to go was sound - and it was logic he never would have though of.  After ten minutes of walking or so, a faint acrid scent began to burn his sensitive nostrils.  It was the smell of burning wood.

            "You smell smoke?" Nire asked suddenly.

            At the confirmation of his thoughts, Elbereth paled slightly.  Never would he admit it to those who knew him, but he had a fear of fire.  The flames had robbed him of the most important thing in his life.  Hungry dancers that ate up all in heir path - they frightened him.  There was no guarantee that this young child, with a spirit so similar to Makaila's, wasn't going to go the same way.

            He paled even more as a ball of fire began to form, ten feet away.  It quickly formed a heads, arms, and legs, cricking its 'neck' when it was fully grown.

            Nire exhaled a single, long syllable.  "Fuck."  It lasted a god half minute, the tone lowering gradually.  She half-glanced back at Elbereth, noting the paleness of his face.  "Dude, are you okay?"

            He nodded quickly, swallowing.  This elemental - for he was sure that was what it was - was completely different from the conflagration that had swept his town.  A dry tongue flicked out to lick his dry lips.  He was Lythari - he did not have panic attacks.

            Nire squarely met his eyes, which had changed to a pale green, with her cold gray ones.  She could see the lie in his face, in his eyes, in the tense lines of his body.  Elbereth could feel her disdain for him radiating in waves from her - disdain that hadn't appeared until her had  opened his mouth.  Nervously, his flicked to the stretching fire-monster, then back to hers.

            "You're going to be completely useless right now, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes flickering between him and the elemental, forever watchful.

            "I don't know," he said truthfully, casting his eyes down.  The straightforwardness of this child shamed him.

            "The why didn't you just say so," she said impatiently, "and stop trying to be the proud elf that's going to get me killed buy choking at the wrong moment."

            Her eyes threw her disgust at him as she turned away.  The fiery beaste's eyes had finally settled on them as it finished working the kinks out of its body.  Nire stepped forward a few steps, purposely putting herself in front of Elbereth as another small slight.  Unexpected tears burned at his eyes, raw memories springing up.  Makaila doing the same thing many a time, when eh was being overcautious.  Makaila's eyes showing exasperation and disgust when he worried about the drunken elves reveling in the streets that might knock over the multitudes of candles and lanterns.

            Nire half-glanced back at him, pity welling up along with her need to fix everything wrong with others, in hope that it would somehow make her life better.  As hard as she tried to be callous, to protect herself, as hard as she tried to hate everyone she met, when someone like Elbereth came along, someone who so obviously carried so much hidden hurt… She could act, she could lie to herself, but in the end…

            She took another step forward as the flaming elemental began to glide towards them.  "Why don't you just go back to wherever you came from right now, so we can cut out this ridiculous charade?  We both know that I'm gonna win, just 'cause there's no way I'm going out at the first challenge."

            The flaming face laughed, a deep belly laugh.  It smirked at them, still chuckling.  A young human child and some breed of elf that was terrified of it.  This would be too easy.

            Nire glanced back at Elbereth once more before returning her attention to the task at hand.  She took a half-step backwards as it glided closer to them, graceful flames leaping towards the sky that glided across the grassy turf, obviously having no intentions other than to toy with them for a while.  It left smoldering footprints in the grass.

            "Nire, perhaps-" Elbereth started, but she cut him off.

            "Looks like it's gonna rain," she commented mildly.  And, with a flick of her wrist, the skies opened up just above the flaming elemental.  It stopped as the downpour sizzled off of it, and turned in a circle, arms up and chuckling.

            Nire look momentarily nonplussed, but quickly threw a mask over it.  She had been so sure that would work - feed it and it lives, give it a drink and it dies.  Her mind latched onto the first part of the riddle as she drew her sword.  It would be ineffectual against the fire, but it comforted her as she thought.  Feed it.  What did a fire need?  Fuel, for one.  An evil grin spread across her face.  A fire also needed oxygen to burn.  Now, since there was no visible fuel, it might also not need oxygen.  But just in case it *_was_* going to work, she wracked her mind for the spell.  It was one of the first ones Raist had taught her - the control of gases.  She tried to pull up all of her useless knowledge and figure out what gas would be in the atmosphere and be 'poisonous' to fire.

            The elemental was taking its sweet time meandering towards them.  Nire backed up steadily, pushing Elbereth back behind her.  Her mind was drawing a blank on gases.  All she could of was oxygen.  It was driving her insane.

            Elbereth was relieved that they were backing up.  His fears began to ease slightly at the aura of confidence the girl exuded.  She had some sort of a plan.  Even though her sword was out, he had a feeling that it had nothing to do with physical fighting.  She wasn't that foolish.  The heat from the elemental was beginning to draw beads of sweat on his face, but the fact that the child wasn't going to rush the thing and be burned to a crisp before his eyes made him sigh slightly in relief.

            As Nire felt the slight puff of air against the back of her neck, she smacked her forehead with her free hand.  How stupid could she be?  What was the opposite of oxygen?  Carbon dioxide, of course!  She snickered happily.

            "Well, señor fire guy.  What do you think?  One last chance to skedaddle."  The elemental shook its head, a malicious smile upon its burning face.  Nire nodded.  "I thought as much.  My friend, you are going down."

            She began to mumble under her breath, making jerky motions with her fingers as she backed up.  The elemental stopped and regarded her curiously, cocking its head like a giant puppy.

            "What do you think you are doing, foolish mortal?" it asked in a silky voice.  "Your friend seems remarkably frightened of me."

            Nire ignored it and finished speaking to herself.  A proud grin lit up her face as she regarded the leaping flames that resembled the shape of a man.  She waited expectantly for her plan to work.

            "Now, when I kill you," Nire asked cockily, "you're going to come alive again for the next group of adventurers.  Right?"

            The elemental raised a blazing eyebrow.  "You will not survive."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I know, I know.  You bring doom to those who dare to defy your might.  Or your master's might, or whatever.  But it'd be a real shame to kill someone with such a beautiful voice."

            The elemental chuckled once more.  Elbereth noticed that it seemed a bit smaller now.  "I like you, girl.  It's too bad you will have to die."

            "Doom, doom, doom," Nire said.  "Heard it all before.  Having a little trouble moving now, are you?"

            The elemental laughed again, but a quick look of consternation passed across its face.  "You are a cocky one, my treat.  Big enough to add much fuel to the flames of my fire."

            "And you appear to be shrinking.  You couldn't even light a flicker of a flame now," Nire parried.

            "Oh ho ho," the elemental laughed, even as it stumbled slightly.  "Then you have not felt the flames I can light.  Come a little closer, and I will show you."

            Nire smirked, licking a finger and pressing it to her arm, mimicking the sound of water hissing to steam.  "I'm hot enough already."

            She continued backing up steadily, keeping the same distance between her and the elemental. Elbereth backed up behind her, wondering what she was doing.

            The elemental gasped and wheezed as it fell to the ground.  "What have you done to me?" The shock in its voice was pitiful.

            Nire grinned triumphantly as the wildly flickering flames began to die out.  "I merely poisoned the air around you.  'Twas nice knowing you!"

            She turned and sauntered back the way they had come, intent on taking the other path.  Elbereth watched until the flames died out completely, then sprinted after Nire. His respect for the young child who had shown up Almohai was steadily growing.

            "How did you do that, lass?"

            "Call me lass again and I'll kill ya," she said blandly, heading down the opposite path.

            The special note in her voice stopped him in his tracks - the note that said she would do it, but she didn't care which choice he made.

            "My apologies," he finally said, following her once more.  "How did you do that, Nire?"

            She glanced back to him.  "Fire needs two things - fuel and oxygen.  I couldn't see a way to cut it off from its fuel, so I cut it off from oxygen."

            "But *_how_*?" he asked again, insisting.

            "Magic," she said simply.  "I was taught to control gases, so I surrounded him with carbon dioxide."

            "Oh."  He supposed it made sense.  "Thank the gods we could move backwards.  Otherwise we would have been burnt to a crisp."  It was said more to himself than to her.

            "Yeah," Nire said distractedly, looking around.  "Thank the gods."  She was getting the distinct feeling that she was being watched, but more than one pair of eyes, too.  It was putting her on edge, making her jittery.

            It took a few seconds for what he had aid to register.  As soon as it did, her head snapped up.

            "Oh my God, we did…" she breathed.  If they did, then that was a way to test which path was the right one.  They could go down a couple feet, then try to turn back.  If they could go back, it was the wrong way.  Otherwise… This was going to be so much easier, now.

            "What?" Elbereth asked, confused.  The slight tremors that had been running down his body since the appearance of the fiery elemental finally ceased.  Now he wanted to know what they had done that put the excited light in the child's eyes.

            When Nire explained it to him, his own eyes widened.  Of course!  Then again… "Why would the creator of this do that?  Is not the purpose of the labyrinth to keep people out?  So why provide a way for people to figure out which way to go?"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'unno.  Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  Ya know?"

            "That attitude will get you killed," Elbereth commented.

            "Aye, I know.  I think I might-a heard someone telling me once that he'd watch people attempting to get through the maze.  Perhaps it entertained 'im to see if people are smart enough to figure it pout.  But, ya know.  Can we just assume I'm right?"

            She sounded exasperated, but that was the most she'd spoken yet.  And the politest.  Elbereth nodded as she turned and continued on, striding towards the next fork.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

(A/N: ::snicker:: Yeah, so, my mum teaches in the sped department of my high school.  Her aid, Adam, apparently told her that if I were any more Gothic, I'd be dead.  ::snicker::  Read on, my minions.  Read on and review.)

Disclaimer:  Anything having to do with Azazel of Belasarius is mine.  Elbereth and Nire are mine.

            Two pairs of ancient eyes were fixed on a pool of still water.  The image inside was an aerial view of a green maze of hedges, and the two people walking within.  A long-fingered male hand reached sideways to a scale model of the labyrinth.  Before it reached the green carvings, before it could rearrange them, a dainty hand grabbed it.

            "Please, don't."  The female voice was soft and gentle, pleading.

            "She's too smart to be allowed to continue."

            Pouty lips extended into the meager light, both faces still hidden in shadow.  "Please?  It's been so long since there was a child here…"

            A third voice came, from deep within the shadows.  "There were children here at one point?  How did I miss that?"

            "My point exactly," the female voice said.

            Mistrustful eyes shone briefly, reflecting the dim light.  "Fine," the second voice bit off.  The hand hovering over the maze dropped sulkily into the shadows again.

            Two heads bent back over the scrying pool.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire dropped back to walk beside Elbereth.  " 'Sup?" she asked.

            " 'Sup?" he questioned, his fine brow crinkling slightly in confusion.

            "Yeah.  'Sup.  What's up?  How's it going?  I'm attempting to initiate conversation."  They split up to go down separate paths,. Nire quickly joining the Lythari in the other branch.  "Doesn't this seem too easy to you?"

            Elbereth nodded.  "Aye, that is does.  What do you suggest?"

            "That we do?" Nire shrugged.  She was getting tired, walking around like this.  But she was determined to get to the tower and get the spell.  She was going to be ripshit if it was just a legend.

            Elbereth snuck quick glances over at her, time and time again, as they walked.  She looked nothing like his ting, graceful Makaila.  But she exuded the same aura of a vibrant, untapped fountain of youth.  There was something else in the young human, something that set her apart from the vivacious elf-girl.  Butt he level of independence, the level of scorn for foolish adults - they would have been well matched.

            "Well, I'm not recognizing any of the scenery," she said dryly.  "I guess I'm going to assume that the walls aren't moving and sending us in circles, as one legend said they did.  What say you, oh mighty elven border guard?"  She put just the right amount of sarcasm on the words to make them lightly teasing, not malicious as much of her precious speech had been.

            Elbereth smiled slightly at her change in humor.  "I say that I agree."

            A snicker emerged from Nire's throat.  "Know what would totally bite?  If there wasn't really an exit from this stupid maze.  Just a trap, or some such rot, in the middle."

            That thought had never presented itself to Elbereth before.  She might be right - then what would they do?  He had come sorely unprepared for this, expecting it to be over quickly.  This child would get bored and return to her him, and eh would return to his, obligation filled.  As many people did, he had underestimated the will of the girl-child.,  As many had underestimated the perseverance of Makaila…

            Nire glanced over at Elbereth to see him looking at her, an odd longing in his eyes.  Truthfully, he was making her nervous.  As always when something began to seriously freak her out, she brought it up.  "What's up with you? You keep looking at me like either you know me from somewhere, or you're considering if I could be a good snack."

            Elbereth blinked slowly, dragging himself out of the depths of his memories, looking away.  "I'm sorry.  You just remind me of my daughter."

            "You're got kids?" Nire asked curiously.  Most of the time, she *_hated_* the innocuous questions people asked each other just so there was some sort of conversation going.  If she didn't know someone, and couldn't think of anything to say, she much referred the since.  Even uncomfortable silence.  Right now, however, after such a long time of walking, the unnatural silence was getting to her.  People liked to talk about their kids, and, as much as she hated hearing about them, it would be better than this silence.  Perhaps it would take her mind off the feeling of someone staring at her.

            Her balloon was deflated when Elbereth said, "*_Had_*.  She died in a fire."

            "Oh," Nire said as through she were enlightened.  His fear of the elemental had reason begin it, now.  Nire fell silent after that quiet revelation.  Bad news, or happening, always left her with nothing to say.  Once more, the issue was with those innocuous phrases he hated to hear.  She did not know how he felt - although it was apparent in his voice that he still hurt - and phrases like 'I'm so sorry' just pissed *_her_* off.  Verbal diarrhea because she did not know ha to say usually wasn't appreciated, at least, not by her.

            They split up once more, this time, Elbereth joined Nire.  She growled softly.  "This is boring as hell - it's almost worth it to go down the wrong path, just so I can kill something."

            She glanced over at Elbereth, but he wasn't responding.  He was lost in memories of a happy elven girl laughing on a warm summer's day.

*  *  *  *  *

            The hand reached for the miniature maze once more.  As before, a more feminine hand stopped the movement.  This time, a transparent hand was added to the restraint.

            "You know you can't stop me,." a male voice said, presumably the owner of the hand.

            A second male voice spoke.  "However, I can add my disapproval."

            The woman's voice added her own disapproval.  "What harm can they do?  One's just a child.  And it's been so long since I've seen faces other than the two of yours."

            The solid male hand dropped out of sight.  All was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment.  Then, angry footsteps could be hard leaving the room, and a door slamming.  A soft sigh whispered through the darkness.

            "I should go find him, I suppose."

            The remaining male voice, now coming from high in a corner of the room, reassured her.  "He'll be over his snit in a little while.  But for now, *_you_* have control of the maze, no?"

            A very feminine laugh of delight echoed through room as a dainty hand hovered above the replica of the labyrinth.

*  *  *  *  *

            Elbereth took a long swig from his waterskin.  They had ate lunch as they were walking, and that had been a few hours ago.  It felt like someone was following them, watching them.  For the hundredth time, he glanced back over his shoulder.

            "Knock it off," Nire said crossly.  "I feel it too.  But d'you *_hear_* anything following us?  If ya can't see it, can't hear it, can't smell it, it doesn't exist."

            Elbereth raised an eyebrow at that.  "If seeing is believing, then the gods don't exist."

            "You need to make that argument with someone who believes there's a god."  She shrugged.  "Makes no impact on an atheist like-"

            She broke off suddenly, a brief look of surprise pacing over her face before her usual jaded look returned.  The wall of hedge in front of them that formed the corner disappeared.  For a brief moment, the way was completely open.  Then, with the sound go field lights at a baseball stadium switching on one by one, sections of hedge appeared in a long, straight row.  When the sounds topped and the eerie stillness returned, a straight path led to what was obviously a portal at the end.

            Elbereth's eyes opened in a mixture of fear and awe.  Nire breathed one word.  "Cool."

            She took off down the new path, seemingly without checking for safety.  Buts he did not see the deeper blue of additional magic, so she assumed she was scot-free.  There was the end she was looking for.

            It took Elbereth a second to react, but he was soon after her, grabbing her shoulder to make her stop.  With almost preternatural speed, she stopped.  An utter stillness filled her body that's aid in half a seconds he was going to snap.  Unless he removed his hand.

            Somewhat unnerved, he let it drop t his side.  "Are you crazy?" he asked, somewhat angry.  "This could just be some sort of trap."

            "Ya only live once, might as well have fun."  She glared at him, deliberately taking a step backwards so she was out of reach.  "Whether it is or it isn't makes no difference.  There's a portal at the tend, and I intend to reach it."

            She stalked away from him, her eyes firmly set on her goal.  And almost undetectable shudder ran through her body.  She had gotten careless, too trusting.  Had he malicious intentions, she would have been dead.  AS it was, he had been an eighth of a second away from losing his hand, and possible his life.  Her knee-jerk reaction of going for her sword whenever someone touched her had only been held in check b a fierce feat of will.  And she might still need him - if she needed a distraction, she bet he would work wonderfully.

            Elbereth followed behind her, looking around nervously.  For a calm, cool Gatekeeper, he had the worst set of nerves of any of them.  People painted a mystical picture of the Lythari.  But, truthfully, beyond their few special abilities and the fact that they lived and walked between worlds, there was little special about them.  They got by mostly on reputation, not by truly being so amazing calm and unflappable.  The reaction of the child to his hand gripping her shoulder had heightened his level of jumpiness.  What kind of life must she lead to bet hat wary of physical contact?  Or was it just him?  

            She stopped and waited impatiently for him at the end of the hedges.  "C'mon, move them lazy legs."

            He hastened to join her, not wanting her to go through alone, knowing that she would.  One of the downfalls of having been  apparent was that lone children provoked a protective instinct in him.  So he couldn't just turn around and walk away, leaving her to her own devices.

            When he had almost reached her, she grinned and stepped through, disappearing immediately.  Elbereth soon followed.

*  *  *  *  *

            "What have you *_done_*?"  Light footsteps ran down the stairs, their owner still hidden in shadow.

            The female voice called soothing from the bottom of the staircase, hidden out of sight.  "You worry to much."

            "And *_you_* don't worry enough!"

            The second man's voice sounded from above a shadowed bookcase.  "What adventurer would bring a child along with him?  Peace, my friend.  Indulge your wife for once."

            A grumpy noise sounded from the shadows, grumpy and mistrustful.  But the first man said nothing, and his footsteps followed the lady's outside.

*  *  *  *  *

            The scene greeting Nire as she stepped out of the end of the hedges took her breath away.  She could feel Elbereth at her back, just as stilled with awe as she was.  Why, she did not know, for from what she had seen, the land of the Lythari held more beauty than this simple courtyard. It was winter, still, and the bare branches of the trees reflected that.  They were cherry trees, like the ones her father had cut out of their orchard so long ago.  Nire's fertile imagination supplied her with an image of what they would look like, come springtime.  But, as far as she was concerned, this stark beauty and winter sky were much more pleasing to the eye.  The deepening darkness of dusk was her favorite time of say, and winter her favorite season.  When the two combined, they were the picture of beauty.

            Elbereth's stillness was not cause by the scene, as Nire assumed, but by the figures within the scene.  A seemingly-young woman stood in the middle of the walkway leading to a tall tower.  Untamed curly black hair wildly framed her face, and her broom skirt brushed the cold ground.  When Nire's attention finally shifted to the people, she thought the small woman looked like a gypsy.  Beside her was a tall, ghost-like man.  No, no ghost-*_like_*, but *_a_* ghost.  Those two were smiling in a relatively welcoming manner.  The second man, tall and lanky, stood off to the side, scowling angrily.  Sharp-features with a brown ponytail at the base of his neck, he looked at the two as though they had betrayed him.

            Nire took half a step forward, once more placing herself away from Elbereth.  Two humans and a ghost… Interesting.  Her eyes quickly picked up the fact that the humans were much too pale to be mortal.  She was assuming that the humans were Azazel and his wife.  The spectre, she had no idea of.  Khelben had said nothing of a ghost, so perhaps these were different people.

            "Hi," she said simply, waiting.

            "Good even," the lady said in a friendly manner.

            "What do you want?" the human man snapped, glaring at them.  The two friendly people cast annoyed glances back to him.

            "To see if the legends are true," Nire answered, meeting him squarely in the eyes.  She knew that he was the one she needed to talk to, so she focused her attention on him.  "Who are you?"

            "I believe I should be asking *_you_* that," he sneered.  He noticed how the child stood, ahead of the elf, but turned slightly so she could see everyone.  No one was at her back.  Interesting…

            "I'm Nire, he's Elbereth."  Nire grinned smugly at him.  "Legend said Azazel of Belasarius died long ago."  Of course, she assumed that was who he was.  The paleness of his skin only added credence to her thoughts.

            "The legends are wrong," was his only comment.

            The phantom sighed and stepped forward, 'clearing' his throat.  "My friend lacks manners.  Allow me to introduce myself and my companions.  I am Etienne.  This is the lady Adelaide.  And he., as you have already surmised, is Azazel of Belasarius."

            As Nire digested the information, Elbereth marveled over the way the two more friendly people were acting.  Nire and he had invaded *_their_* home, thusly they should be acting as Azazel was.  However, the woman was looking at the two of them as though she hadn't seen a face other than the two men's in æons.

            "As I inquired before," Azazel broke in coldly.  "What would you like?"

            Nire spared the briefest nod of greeting for the two polite people.  Azazel was the key, thus he was the only important one.  Adelaide and Etienne recognized the look on her face, the gleam in her eye, and sighed together.  The times Azazel had the same look, nothing else existed but what he was focused on.  Disappointment stuttered through Adelaide - this was no normal child, not one a she was hoping for.  A comforting, if ghostly, hand was laid on her shoulder as she and Etienne moved off to the side a little.

            "I've been told of a spell, or a potion, or some sort of other magical doohickey that gives special powers to vampires."  Nire said it bluntly, waiting for a reaction to see how close she was.  The eyes of the ancient mage widened slightly, but that was all she got.

            "That depends on what you mean," Azazel answered evasively.

            "I think you know."  This was fun!  "All the upside of mortality, none of the downsides of vampires."

            Azazel shut down, going still on the outside.  "And what would you want it for?"

            Nire laughed.  She couldn't help it - the question was ridiculous.  "Why, to use it to take over the world of course," she said sarcastically.  "Why do you think?  I'm sick of seeing the pain in my friend's eyes when he gives me money so I can go buy lunch, the sadness when the sun rises and he can't even *_watch_* it.  I hate feeling the self-loathing rolling off him in waves every fucking night.  He deserves better."

            Elbereth looked at her in shock.  She went through all that to help a *_vampire_*?  Was she insane?  The pieces began to fall into place for him.  These humans weren't immortal by way of his thinking, they were vampires.  Vampires that could come out in the sunlight… Suddenly more alert than he had been all day his eyes flicked back and forth between everyone in the courtyard.

            Azazel took his time digesting what she said.  He could not hear, smell, or see a lie.  Perhaps she was being truthful.  "Assuming I even have what you are speaking of, how do you know that this gift should be bestowed upon the one you know?"

            "Haven't you ever just *_known_* something?" she asked.

            "Perhaps I have and perhaps I haven't.  That is beside the point."  He could feel Adelaide attempting to soothe him, to calm him, and he roughly cast her out of his thoughts.  She could not understand why he needed to be so suspicious, why he could not allow this magic to fall into just anyone's hands.

            "No, it's not," Nire argued.  "I just know that he won't.  Do you need me to *_bring_* him here?"  She hoped and prayed he would say no.  That would completely ruin the surprise.

            "No," was his immediate answer.  Once more, he regarded her quietly, his thoughts going in circles in his head.  Something kept telling him that he could trust the powerful potion to the lass.  Glancing over at his petite wife, who was obviously angry with him, he bit back the words about to exit his mouth.  For once, as Etienne suggested, he would humor his wife, and discuss the issue with the child.

            "We have much to discuss," he finally said.  "*_You_* should come inside."  He emphasized the 'you' in hopes that the elf would take the hint and leave.

            Elbereth understood the hint, but did not want to leave the girl-child alone.  Latent parental instincts were merging again. To Nire, the hint was perfectly clear.  She wished the Elbereth would just leave.  Ever since it had become apparent that she was here on behalf of a vampire, she could feel his disapproval and shock like bright sparks against her blue lake of calmness.  It was worse than the blatant and suffocating mistrust emanating from Azazel, and the stifling longing from Adelaide.  Etienne was the most calming of the four of them, a gaseous cloud of joy that there were other faces in the courtyard, and dismay at the way Azazel was treating her.

            After a couple of seconds of pointed staring on everyone's part, Nire stepped back slightly towards Elbereth.  "Thanks for helping me get this far.  I hope you eased your guilt or whatever.  See ya."

            He stared at her.  "I can't just-"

            A disgusted snort from Nire cut him off.  "Bull shit.  You're not my father, you're not my brother, you're not even the same fucking *_species_* as me.  You are not beholden to me in any way."

            Elbereth felt himself shrinking back under her glare, which was strong enough to shatter stone.  As soon as he realized he was doing it, though, he steeled himself and squarely met her chilling gaze.  He could not leave her alone here, not in good conscience.  An uncomfortable silence filled the small courtyard.  An impatient Azazel glared at Adelaide, mentally telling her that he was going inside very soon.

            Ever the peacemaker, Adelaide stepped forwards a couple of steps.  She was not going to lose this chance to hold a conversation with someone who knew what was going on in the world.  "Nire, what if you and Azazel go into his study and arrange whatever is needed, and Elbereth and the two of us can go to the kitchen and talk."  It was obvious, though, that she was really asking Azazel.  At his slight nod, a beautiful smile spread across her face.

            "Come."  Azazel bit off the word like it was a cup of lemon juice.  There was no way he would go with the child up to his stuffy and leave his precious Adelaide down on the first floor, all alone.  No, he'd speak with the child in the small, empty room off of the kitchen.

            Stalking inside, he assumed that the rest would follow him.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

****

Disclaimer:  Nire is mine, as is everything to do with Azazel of Belasarius.  Jander, Khelben, Laeral, Danilo, and Arilyn belong to WotC.

            It was a contest of wills, as all things were.  Before the first word could be spoken, the first argument begun, one had to break.  Acted out on hillsides for centuries upon centuries, millennia upon millennia, it was the story of history.  It was the age-old tale of the world.  One of them had to lose control of their steely nerves, thus failing the test.  Each being measured, being tested.  One would be shoved off the cliff, one would be thrown into the dirt, cast out of the ring, fall from grace.  And the other would emerge victorious, the strongest, the winner.  The will of one would win, would be carried out.  The only question to be answered was, who would look away first?

            For her part, Nire was determined not to lose.  She could not remember when she had cared this deeply about something, this deeply about *_someone_*.  Somewhere, in the course of planning this trip, it had become an all-consuming quest.  If anything, she felt like Galahad must have, when trying to gain the Holy Grail.  Except, unlike sir Galahad, she would gain nothing from this.  Nothing, except a blissful release from the shackles of the mortal world.  This was not a fight she was going to lose.

            Azazel was no less determined.  While Nire concentrated on not looking away and keeping the bored, dull expression chalked onto the blank slate of her eyes and face, Azazel used his other senses to stuff the girl.  For the first couple minutes, he tried to see inside her eyes, lift the shades of the windows to the soul.  But he couldn't, almost as though there was nothing behind them, nothing but what she was showing now.  Dimly, he could hear the conversation in the kitchen.  Elbereth was telling the two denizens of the tower news from the outside world.  Satisfied that all that was going on was talking, he focused all of his attention on determining the child's intentions.

            It did not seem strange to the ancient mage that she was but a child, yet she reeked of power.  All he was concerned about was why she wanted his most powerful secret.  Just what did she *_really_* plan to do with it?  Or, was she telling the truth, and did she only want to help a friend?  The trusting nature of his wife was rubbing off on him, and he did not like it.

            Azazel spoke first, never breaking his gaze from the child's.  "Do you realize what the cost of what you're asking is?" he questioned her harshly.

            Nire nodded, her eyes moving up and down in her head so they never left Azazel's.  "Aye, I know.  A life.  A life to return the life to a dead body.  *_My_* life, because I'll be the one making the whatever.  I did my homework."

            Azazel fell silent again, contemplating her.  There was no lie in her speech, nor in her body.  She was truly prepared to give her life.

            "And you would let the secret die with you?"

            A slow nod was her answer.  "Call me stupid, call me a fool.  But I wanna do *_something_* good before I die.  And he's the only one worth anything.  I've got no interest in leaking your secret to people."

            There was another long silence, filled with staring, before Azazel spoke.  "Would you swear never to reveal this secret to anyone?  That it will die with you?"

            "Yes and yes," she said calmly.  "I swear that this secret will go to the grave with me, never once be uttered from my lips."  Vaguely, she knew she should feel slightly disturbed about speaking of her death so casually.  But, inside, there was nothing.  She felt cold and empty, but committed to her purpose.

            Once more, Azazel knew that she spoke only the truth.  One benefit of being a vampire, one that he greatly appreciated, was that he *_knew_* when someone was lying.  In an abrupt decision, more influence by Adelaide's wishes than he cared to admit, Azazel decided to give this child what she wanted.  Trusting Adelaide and Etienne to be able to take care of themselves, fortified by his wife's slight caress on his mind, he stood.

            "Come with me," he said shortly.  "I will teach you."

            He was the first to look away.

*  *  *  *  *

            As Nire followed Azazel up to his shielded study, Jander was just awakening from an uneasy sleep.  He had dreamed - a rare occurrence in itself - of Nire.  In the dream, they were standing underground, in a cave of sparkling light.  And ice cave, it seemed.  She held out her arms to him, blood bubbling from her upturned wrists like a perverse fountain and splashing to the cold ground below, and ordered him to drink.  And he did, compelled by an unseen force.  Every time he attempted to pull back, she ordered him to drink deeper.  Her heartbeat slowed, and still he could not pull away; he was not released until she fell to her knees.  Then he sprang away, blood dripping from his mouth, staring in horror at what he had done.  A peaceful smile spread across the child's face as she collapsed forward in slow motion, her beautiful heart stilling forever.  As a wail of anguish came from Jander, the painful realization struck him.  He was mortal.

            She had given her life to make him mortal.

            He hadn't fed enough lately to be covered in bloodsweat, but there was the potential there.  He could still taste the sweet nectar of her blood.  French vanilla and almonds.  Oh, gods, Lathander help him.  He could feel a heat stirring in his loins.  She was a *_child_* for crying out loud!  *_A child_*!

            But, oh gods, the *_taste_*.  Mouth watering, delectable ambrosia.

            No.  No no nononono.  A beast.  He was a monster, a beast.  Not fit to live.

            French vanilla and almonds.

            Evil, wrong, sick, disgusting.

            Jander moaned, cradling his head in his shaking hands.  It had just been a dream.  Right?  A dream, nothing more.  Just because it felt real didn't mean anything.  He would never really do that to his little one.  Never.

            Would he?

            He had to talk to her, had to make sure she was okay.

            As he thought that, the comforting warmth that was Nire, that warm feeling he didn't notice anymore but stayed in the back of his mind always, was gone.  Abruptly not there.

            _Little one? _ he called nervously.  He couldn't feel her, couldn't even sense where she was.  There was no answer.  _Nire?  _NIRE? 

            He knew he hadn't done anything t her.  The sun just set, he had been sleeping.  But why was she gone?  Why didn't she answer?  His mind swirled with the many colors of panic.

            _Raistlin?  Raistlin!  Tell me Nire's with you! _

            The mage sounded confused and irritable.  _No, she isn't.  Why? _

            Jander didn't answer.  He was too busy trying to think of other places she would be in danger.  Any other place that she could hear something, learn something that would put her in danger.  If she thought something sounded fun, or 'cool', then she would try it out.  She would go there, or do it, but with no regard for the consequences.

            Then, it hit him.

            Blackstaff.  No, no, no, no no nonono.  She had even *_told_* him that the mage had been telling her some interesting legends.  Of course she would want to go see how true they were.

            Even as he thought, he formed a gate to the Blackstaff Tower.  The very instant he stepped foot on the ground outside the tower, Khelben stepped outside.  It was as though he knew the vampire would be arriving.

            "What did you tell her?" Jander asked in a dangerously quiet voice, his eyes flashing angrily.

            "Who?"  Confronted with the enraged vampire, Khelben's eyes flicked back and forth, looking for a possible escape route, in case it came to that.

            "*_Nire_*!  Who the *_fuck_* do you think?" He liked that little four-letter word he had picked up from his little one.  "She's…gone.  I can't… feel her anymore…" Confusion, worry, and fear filled the elf's face.  "Please…"

            Khelben paled visibly.  He didn't think she would actually do it.  She hadn't seemed that foolish.  "She was asking about Azazel of Belasarius.  She wouldn't have actually tried to go there, would she have?"

            Jander visibly paled, a remarkable feat considering he hadn't fed well in days.  "Where?" he rasped.  "*_Where did you tell her it was? _*"

            "The middle of the Forest of Tethyr."  Khelben peered past the distraught vampire.  Laeral, Danilo, and Arilyn had just come in the gate and were standing behind him, ready to act, if need be.

            Jander did not know they were there, however.  He was still calling for Nire, over and over again.  Ignoring everything, he turned to the side and made a gate to the very center of the Tethyrian Forest.  Nire would take it literally and go there.  As the scenery changed around him, and he stepped away from the gate, he made the decision to leave it open.  Just in case Blackstaff was going to help search for her.

            He took one more step forward, and stood still.  He could feel four people lining up behind him, keeping quiet, afraid to speak.  Afraid to say anything to him.  And he, he just stood still.  Her scent was there, in the clearing.  This was the spot where she had stood that very morning.  Why couldn't he feel her?  She couldn't be dead.  No, that was just beyond comprehension.

            Oh, gods, what would he do without her?  In such a short time, she had come to mean everything to him.  *_Everything_*.  She kept him sane; she made him feel like life was worth living.  She was his humanity.  For the brief time she was near him each night, she made him forget he was one of the damned.

            He sank to his knees with a groan, covering his face with his hands.  People shuffled their feet behind him but he did not hear them.  If she were dead… His head was empty and cold.  It felt like there was something (_French vanilla and almonds_) missing from him, from his head, from his heart.

            No.  This couldn't (_fountain of blood_) be happening.  She couldn't be (_drink of me_) dead.  There had to be (_be whole again_) another explanation.  Some other reason why (_mortal_) he couldn't feel her.  There *_had_* (_dead_) to be a reason.  Nire was (_at his feet_) indestructible, just like she always said.  She *_had_* to be.

            Then she was back, a warm spot at the bottom of his brain.

            Half a second later, she appeared in front of him.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Do you understand?" Azazel growled.

            Nire nodded once, sharply.  Oh, yes, she understood.  She understood that this was going to take all of her money to buy supplies.  That, after that, it was going to take at least a week to make.  That this was going to be the last thing she ever did.  And, she understood how to do it.

            "Yes, I understand."

            Azazel stood.  "Then come.  This will pout you back where you started in the forest."

            With a nod of gratitude, Nire stepped through the area he was indicating.  Almost immediately, the Tethyrian Forest reshaped around her, the spot just outside of where the maze started.  The sight that greeted her eyes, and the feelings of grief and loss that washed over her, stopped her short.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander stared at Nire, focused in on her strong, steady heartbeat, felt her in the back of his mind (_drink of me and be well_).

            Confusion and anger warred across Nire's face.  What did they do to him?  "Jander?  What's wrong?"

            He was in front of her in an instant, hugging her tightly, his head buried in her shoulder.  She was (_wrists spurting blood_) all right.  After a moment, Nire's tense body relaxed and her arms hugged him back.  He would *_not_* cry.  Not in front of these (_fountain of blood_) people.

            Nire was rubbing his back soothing, trying to calm him down.  She could feel him shaking, trembling.  "Jander, what's wrong?  Are you okay?"

            Jander shoved her away from him roughly, standing up, his eyes angrily flashing.  "Am *_I_* okay?  Gods-be-damned, Nire!  What were you thinking?  You could have been *_killed_*, do you understand?  *_Dead_*.  I woke up, and I couldn't *_feel_* you anymore, I thought you had killed yourself."

            Nire's eyes glazed over so she looked like she wasn't paying attention.  But she was; she heard every word he said.

            Her glazed eyes hurt Jander.  She didn't even care the torture she had just put him through.  "Are you even *_listening_* to me?  What were you thinking?  Oh, wait, obviously, you weren't."

            At that, Nire flinched away from him, hurt flashing through her dulled eyes.  Jander was supposed to be the one who always supported her, never yelled, never scolded.  She could feel tears pricking at her eyes.  Without thinking, just to get him to shut up so she wouldn't cry, she snapped out the phrase she knew would hurt him most.

            "What right do you have to yell at *_me_*?  *_You're not even mortal_*."

            The instant she said it, she wanted to take it back, but she couldn't.  It was what she did.  She lashed out to keep herself from being hurt, to deflect the attention elsewhere.  Most other adults would have understood that she meant nothing by it, that she was just trying to protect herself.  But no, not Jander.  Her words were a vicious arrow that struck through his heart.  His mouth gaped open and closed, nothing coming forth, and he seemed to wilt in front of her.  Nire could feel him closing off from her, from everyone, shutting down.

            "You're right," he whispered, pain filling his voice. Nire was shocked that she had said that in the first place, ands he opened her mouth to say something, anything to take it back.

            But Jander had already disappeared into the forest.

            It was Nire's turn to gape.  She turned to the four people who seemed to always travel together, her eyes lost and strangely childish.  The look was there only for a few brief seconds, then it was hidden behind a mask of slight humor.  Inside, she was… afraid.  He wasn't answering her telepathic pleas.  What would she do if she had driven him away forever?

            "Did he seriously just walk away?" Nire asked, a slight note of exasperation in her voice.

            Laeral nodded grimly.  She knew that Nire had known exactly what her words would do to the vampire.  In her opinion, the child needed a good talking to, and a couple well-placed whacks across the seat of her pants.

            "Good riddance," Arilyn muttered, not thinking that anyone would hear her.  She still held an unreasonable amount of animosity towards Jander.  Every single elf that treated her as an equal, not something of a lesser race, turned out to be somehow evil.  And he - he was a perversion of life, an evil that Faerûn should be rid of.

            Nire went still and quiet, her eyes glinting dangerously.  She stalked forward until she was directly in front of Arilyn.  "What did you say?" The menace was clear in her voice.

            Arilyn refused to back down.  This child could not be of a threat to her.  It was ridiculous.  "I said, good riddance."

            The disapproving stares turned her way by everyone distracted her, a wounded look spreading across her face.  Thus, the right hook Nire landed on her chin was a total surprise, and sent her flying backwards.  She landed on her back in the dirt, looking up at the enraged girl.  As she looked up at Nire, she paled.  The preteen's fists were relaxed, but one hand caressed her sword hilt as though she wished to use it.  Her eyes were filled with a cold fire, rage she did not try to control.

            "How *_dare_* you say that," Nire hissed viciously.  "How *_dare_* you.  He came here in complete panic because he thought I had died.  He put himself at risk by going to *_you_* people for help, to find out where I was.  You hate others because they judge you unfairly because you're half elf, or half human.  How are you *_any different from them_*?"  Nire forced herself to back up, to turn and walk away.

            "Nire," Khelben called sternly.

            She stopped, not turning around, and snapped, "What?"

            "You and I need to have a talk."

            She nodded once, sharply, and continued walking.

            Arilyn finally gathered her wits about her, got some of her bluster back, and stood, brushing herself off.  "Why that little bitch," she bristled, looking to Danilo for support.

            "Sorry Arilyn."  He spread his hands.  "I agree with her."

            The half-elf was left, staring, amazed and alone.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander walked away.  As soon as he was sure, completely and totally sure, that no one could see him, he ran.  He ran as hard and as fast as he could, pounding the ground beneath his feet.  Emptiness filled his head.  There was no room for thoughts amid the utter desolation and grief.  Golden hair streamed behind him in the silvery moonlight.

            He did not run for long.  No, he ran until he was sure no one would be able to feel the magic.  Then he gated to the grove that he had shown Nire that day.  Water sang in the brook, and it was still as beautiful as always.  But tonight, it offered little comfort.  The crystalline beauty reminded him of everything he was not, of everything he could never be.

            It was a welcome relief to his trembling legs to slump down to the ground, a tree supporting his back.  Now, his shoulders, his body, shook with the force of his sobs.  Twin rivers of blood flowed down his cheeks.  Like a young child, he brought his knees up to his chest and locked his arms around them, his face fitting perfectly between his knees.  He did not rock back and forth, no, that seemed too trivial an expression of his grief.  But long shudders ran down his lanky frame, breaking up the violent trembling.

            Did she understand what her words had done to him?  Did she ever *_care_*?  Since the day he had met her, there was never anything in her eyes that even suggested… Never had she looked at him as anything other than another creature of the light.  All he had ever seen, ever felt was that he was a treasured friend, one she trusted more than most.  It was one of the things he treasured most about her - the fact that she never smelled of fear, never looked at him in disgust.  All she saw was *_him_*, not the vampire.  She never looked at him, wondering whom he had killed recently.

            Everything she did not do had just been thrown back in his face.

            The anger, the hate in her eyes had made him want to stumble back away from her.  And her voice… her vicious, cold voice… never had he heard such loathing when she spoke.  Did this mean that everything she had said, had done since the day he met her was a lie?  Was every look, ever laugh, ever tear just an elaborate façade?  Even if it was, could he blame her?

            He was a monster, a beast (_drink_).  He fed off the living (_dead at his feet_) to sustain his unholy existence.  How could a child, any child, stand to be around him?  He was just a disgusting animal.  Why should he think Nire say something in him, something worth saving?  A night stalked, drinker of blood (_dripping from his fangs_).  All he would do was kill her.  His dream had been trying to tell him that.  His little one was in danger from *_him_*.  Lower than the lowest worm, blood-drinker, evil.  He was not fit to walk this earth.  Nire had finally made him see it.

            Jander gave himself over to the sobs that wracked his body.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire knew exactly where Jander had gone.  A couple deep breaths calmed the rage she felt towards Arilyn.  The pretty little bitch had no idea what she was talking about.  Right now, she had to go find Jander.  When he had walked away, she could feel his disgust and self-loathing.  And the utter desolation and betrayal.  All caused by her stupid mouth.  She *_had_* to fix it, take what she said back, make Jander forgive her.

            She knew exactly where he would be.  That glade, or glen, or whatever that he had shown her… That was it.  All the times she had felt him there, she tried not to intrude.  Now that he could, that was where he went for quiet time, time to feel bad for himself, time to think.  This though… no, this she was not going to allow to wait until he came to find her.  The risk was too great.

            She had a smart remark all prepared, ready and waiting.  But the instant she saw Jander, it died in her throat.  She had expected him to be… somewhat upset, judging from the way he had disappeared.  But nothing so bad as this.  He was sobbing, actually *_sobbing_*, bloodtears pouring from between the fingers that covered his face.  His shoulders were shaking, his entire *_body_* was trembling.

            "Jander," she started hesitantly.

            The vampire elf forced himself to still.  What was she doing here?  Hadn't she said enough?  But her voice was small and timid; for once she sounded her age.  She sounded unsure of her welcome, as well as she should.

            "Go away, Nire," he growled angrily, steadfastly refusing to look at her.

            "I'm sorry," she whispered unhappily, taking a few steps forward.  "I didn't mean it.  I was jus-"

            "There's a grain of truth in all angry words," he interrupted cruelly.

            "Not when they're coming from my mouth!" she burst out.  "God damn it, you *_know_* that."

            She tried to touch his mind, to let him feel what she meant.  As soon as he felt her light tough, he roughly thrust her out.  He did not want to see, to feel what she felt.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch, hurt flashing across her face.

            "Jander…" she pleaded, actually begging him.  "Please.  I'm sorry.  I…"

            The scent of her salty tears filled the air, but Jander paid no heed to them.  "Leave me, Nire."  They were three quiet words, filled with venom.

            Nire didn't say anything else, just left, gating back to her room.  How *_dare_* he?  *_How dare he_*?  She tried to apologize, and that was what she got.  And this was why she never tried to help anyone.  Every time - *_ever fucking time_* - she got yelled at, got in trouble.  This was it.   She was never helping anyone, ever again.  She'd just stay in her room forever, alone.  Why should she care about anyone?  He didn't matter, none of them mattered.

            She shut her door quietly, the whole house already asleep, and collapsed on her bed, beginning to sob.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

Disclaimer: Jander, Khelben, Laeral, and Arilyn belong to WotC.  Nire's mine.  The song is 'Wonderful' by Everclear.  Any disparities between when it's running through her mind and when it actually was released is my fault, since I'm too much of a lazy ass to go check it out.  No money is being made off of this folly.

            Jander had come to a decision, a realization.  He could not do this anymore.  He could not take the constant smell of fear that rolled off of Azrael, the wariness with which Raistlin watched him on the few occasions they saw each other.  And now this - he could not think of it as anything less than betrayal - from Nire.  That was it, all he could take.  He had given her his heart in friendship, and she had torn it up and thrown it at his feet.

            He was done.  This experiment in leading a semi-normal life ended in mass failure.  So, he was going to leave, abandon this life.

            *_You're running away.  You're getting scared because they're beginning to mean too much to you, and you're running. _*

            No he wasn't.  He was merely leaving this foolish delusion behind.  It was for the best for all of them.  There was no running involved.  Nire obviously had no need of him, and Azrael had lived on the street for his entire life.  He would be fine.

            Jander had been spending the past hour trying to make himself cold to the idea, to freeze his heart.  Unfortunately, there was still a slight tugging that he couldn't quiet.  As much as Nire had hurt him with that frigid phrase, as much as he hated her right now… He could not just disappear, as he planned to, without *_seeing_* her once more.  Not talk to her, he did not want to do that, just see her, and remember the good times.

            It was late, very late.  She would be sound asleep.  She he would stop in quickly, then go grab his perpetually packed bag, and leave.  It was a good, sound plan, and it would give him peace.

            With that thought, he wiped off his face with his sleeves, not wanting the blood to dry there.  Then, he quickly formed a gate to Nire's room with the yank-and-jerk she taught him.  A quick glance was all he wanted.

            Even in the darkness, he could see that her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, and dried tears traced salty lines down her cheeks.  Why had *_she_* been crying?  He had said nothing to her.  Not the way she had done to him.  Out of everyone he knew, she was the one he least expected to turn on him.  That made her words seem worse, dig deeper.

            Nire's sleep was uneasy; she tossed and turned, the darkness in her head swirling in oily pools.  Something disturbed what little rest she was getting, a presence in her room.  Predictably, her eyes opened, unerringly meeting Jander's.  Like a deer in the headlights, he froze, anger and hurt rolling off of him in waves.  Nire's cold gray eyes searched his face, and found something there, something she didn't like.  As one who got by in life by being able to read people like books, Jander's book was not having a happy ending.  She could see that tonight he was leaving forever.  But he couldn't do that.  She *_needed_* him, as much as she hated to admit it.  She needed a rock to hold onto in the malignant storm of her life.

            She was already crying.  As a last, desperate measure, she threw herself out of bed and to the floor in front of him, on her knees.  She locked her arms around his legs and hid her face in his knees, sobbing.  Jander regarded her in shock, fighting not to stumble backwards.  If he did, he would fall, her arms were clenched that tightly.

            "Please," she begged him.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean it, I swear.  I'm sorry."  She kept repeating it over and over, debasing herself, while Jander fought to regain his balance.

            "Nire," he finally said.  "I'm going to fall if you don't let go of me."

            She allowed him to step away from her, the backwards step he needed.  Buts he stayed on the floor, looking up at him, tears still streaming down her plump face.

            Jander tried to hold his anger, to stay mad.  But he just couldn't, not with her looking up at him so miserably.  Her tearful face was like the hammer that smashed him abruptly back into reality.  Now, he could admit that he had overreacted.  She acted so mature, that he forgot that she was only a child, still.  That she would say things she didn't mean.  Seeing her so miserable and honestly apologetic was all that it took to remind him of that.  There was still an ache in his chest from her words, but at least he could forgive her.  He knelt down in front of her and hugged her shaking frame.

            "Hush, little one.  It's okay," he soothed as her arms locked around him.  How had he managed to forget his anger so easily?  And why couldn't he call it back now?

            "No it's not," she sobbed, unable to explain in words.  Her touch on his mind was hesitant, asking permission to speak to him that way.  And he gladly gave it, as an apology for overreacting so grossly.  Plus, she was scaring him, by being this distraught.

            A jumble of images, thoughts, and feelings were poured into his mind in a rush, Nire trying to get everything in before he changed his mind and cast her out.  It took him a few seconds to sort through everything, make sense of it all, while Nire sat back on her heels, crying silently now.  Even as everything sorted itself out, it was still broken pieces, only the pertinent information.  He stood up as various things flashed through his mind.

            …elation at what she had accomplished, pride, wishing that she could tell him, *_he'd be so proud_*…

            …fear - for him! - and anger.  *_What'd they do to him?  I'll kill 'em_*…

            …his anger, fighting not to cringe from it…

            …hurt, emotional pain, he wasn't supposed to chastise her, he always supported what she did…

            …tears welling in her eyes, a refusal to cry in front of other people, wracking her brain to figure out what would make him shut up…

            …hurt him like he was hurting her…

            …cruel words snapped out that she immediately wanted to take back, empty words she didn't mean, words others might have said to him…

            …willingness to do anything to take back what she said, to take that look off of his face…

            …attempting to apologize, him refusing to listen, fear and worry that she'd alienated him forever, anger because he was being so stubborn…

            …fear because of how much she was scared of losing him, fear of him mattering that much…

            "Oh, little one," Jander murmured, sinking back down onto the floor again, wrapping Nire in his arms.  His cold, dead arms.  Rendered a child again, Nire buried her head in the crook of his neck.  Jander did the same, fighting the urge to nuzzle her neck in order that he could smell her blood better.  Oh, gods, he was already doing it.  Regardless of whether she meant it or not, she was right.  He had no right to even be here.

            *_Perhaps I should just leave.  I was right before.  It would be best for all if-_*

            "No!" Nire wailed, his thoughts leaking into her head.  "Jesus Christ, Jander, I'm *_sorry_*.  I didn't mean it.  What more do you want me to say?"  She sniffled, trying to bring her tears under control.  This emotional outburst had been too much for her to take, so she withdrew inward, leaving the usual mask in place.

            Jander saw the mask go down and flinched back from it.  She had hurt him, he had hurt her, they were even.  He would not leave tonight, nor tomorrow night.  But soon… With a sigh, he reached out and cupped Nire's cheek in his hand, gratified when she didn't stiffen of flinch away.

            "Little one…" He bowed his head, his hair shielding his face.  It had been a long time since he did that.  A *_long_* time.  His hand dropped to his lap, at a loss for what to say.

            Nire was used to his abrupt mood swings, and usually took no heed of them, beyond veiled attempts to cheer him up.  But tonight, it was *_her_* fault.  There was no one she could silently rage against, save herself.  And she certainly hated herself enough at that moment to unleash a blast of power that would kill an entire army.  She wracked her brains for something to say to him, for something to make everything all better.  But nothing would come to mind.

            "Jander, I…" She drifted off, not knowing what to say.  He was suddenly too close to her, the way her father, or people at school were too close.  As usual, when she was uncomfortable, upset, or unsure of herself, she retreated to anger.  Irrational anger, and she aimed it at Jander.  "God fucking damn it!  Why can't you be like everybody else?  When I fuck up royally, I can just shrug and continue on my way, because they mean *_nothing_*.  But not you, oh no.  With you, I gotta make everything right again."

            Jander smiled slightly, his self-pity temporarily assuaged.  That was Nire's way of saying that he meant a lot to her, and she was truly sorry.  It did not make the hurt less, but at least he was not as angry with her anymore.  He did not feel as betrayed.  But… There was nothing left for them to say toe ach other, and the silence wasn't companionable.  Nire wanted to hold him, to hug him, to make him look happy again.  At the same time, she didn't want him to touch her.  Jander wanted to leave while they were still on good terms.  Logically, he understood why she had snapped at him so.  She actually *_did_* care what he thought about her, and his disapproval had hurt deeply.  So she lashed out, trying to protect herself.  And it had worked.

            "You look tired, little one," he finally said.  "I should go back…"

            Nire's face turned hard and dark as she drew away.  "Bull feces.  Let's see, can you say, oldest trick in the book?  Tel the kid you'll see her tomorrow, disappear into the Abyss, or some such dark ad scary place where you'll never be found again."

            On his face as a look of incredulous denial.  "No I wouldn't."  *_At least, I wouldn't do it to you, _* he added silently.

            The song sin her head, the ones that leaked to him, rarely had words.  But as soon as he spoke, words were suddenly put to the tune that had been 'playing', wistful words.

            _Go to my room and I cols me eyes / I make believe that I have a new life / I don't believe you when you say / Everything will be wonderful someday / Promises mean everything when you're little / And the world is so big / I just don't understand how / You can smile with all those tears in your eyes / When you tell me everything is wonderful now… _

            How did she always make him feel like something was his fault?  And he didn't think she meant to, either.  At that point, he realized that she could say all the nasty things he wanted, but he couldn't just walk away.  She could make him hate himself even more than he did already, turn it into physical pain in his stomach, and still he would stay.  Somehow, he was bound to this child, and it frightened him deeply.  But he could not break himself away.  Right now, he was angry and blamed himself for pushing her to that point.  But he still made her an offer to rid the mistrust, anger, and sadness from her eyes.  And the wistful note of longing for what could never be from her mental voice.

            "Then come stay with us, little one," he offered.  "If that will make you believe me, then come.  You can even have my bed."

            "How long are you talking?" she asked suspiciously.  She could stay until dawn, and next time she came back, in his current mood, he'd have disappeared, leaving behind a mysterious pile of ash.

            "When will your parents start to miss you?"  As far as he was concerned, she could stay forever.  He would avoid her for a while, but he would not object to her presence.

            "If I *_died_* they wouldn't miss me."  She glared, daring him to deny it.

            A soft sigh was heard, an acknowledgement of her challenge.  "When did you tell them you'd be back?  Did you even tell them anything?"

            "I told my mum tomorrow night," she said grudgingly.

            "Then you can stay until then."

            "Until I have to go to school in the morning."

            "Fine," he conceded.  Gods, what had she done to him?  He felt like shit, seeing her reminded him that he was nothing better than shit, and here he was allowing her to stay.

            Nire quietly rummaged in her closet, quickly pulling out a nondescript pack.  "Can we go?  Please?  I-"

            She broke off, looking away.  But he understood her meaning, how much she hated her house.  Another reason hwy she did not mean what she said - she would never risk losing one of her only two sanctuaries.  Oh, gods, he was a pathetic, sniveling beast.  If that was the only reason she wanted him around, that was what he would take.

            Jander ushered her through the gate he made, then followed.  She stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, an expression on her face that was uncharacteristic of Nire.  She looked unsure of herself, for cone allowing her mask to slip away.  The *_feel_* of Jander was making her want to start to cry again.  If she didn't get to Gar and Alea soon, and have them teach her to control this, she was going to go insane.  Her words, that single careless sentence, had hurt him deeply.  If she could figure out how to make him forget it, make that deep-seated doubt about his worth disappear, she would do it.  In an instant, she would do it.

            As it was, she did not want him to leave the room.  So, to keep him in the room, to try and make him forgive her, she chattered.   *_She_*, Nire the Silent, *_chattered_* nonstop, about anything that came to mind.  And Jander, he listened, smiling slightly at her, draped across a chair.  His mind, however, wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.  She hadn't meant it, had even let him *_feel_* how she hadn't meant it.  There wasn't an ounce of truth in what she had said, as far as she was concerned.  And, even more honorably, when he scolded her, she *_listened_*.  She felt bad about what she had done, which was more than she felt when her parents yelled at her.  But her words still dug at him.  Not because she had meant them, but because she was *_right_*.

            He felt the sun rise, felt that urge to find shelter even though he was well protected.  Azrael had come in for a while, but left soon after dawn, yawning, to go to bed.  As Nire's yawns grew more frequent, Jander finally dragged himself from the depths of his self-pity and interrupted her.

            "Little one, perhaps it is time for bed.  You're exhausted.  I'll sleep in this chair, so you can have the bed."

            She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly showing her contempt for that arrangement.  "Don't be an idiot.  You paid for the room, 's your bed.  I'll sleep on the floor.  'S more comfortable, anyway."  Emotionless gray eyes met his silver ones, gray eyes emotionless to mask just how tired she really was, and how much she wanted that bed.  But not if it was empty.  Jander would never know how having another body in the bed to snuggle up to calmed her, soothed her, allowed her to get the rare good night's sleep.

            Looking into her eyes, he knew she was serious.  And he would feel guilty about that if he allowed her the floor.  Going out on a limb, expecting and prepared for rejection, he offered, "It's big enough for two…"

            "Cool," Nire said, hiding her relief.  "I have dibs on the right side o' the bed."

            The vampire elf blinked, shocked and amazed. He hadn't expected her to agree.  This child - child in body only, perhaps, but still a child - never ceased to amaze him.  The level of trust she showed… never would it cease to take him down a few notches.  Never.  With Nire having already staked out her half of the bed and lying on her stomach underneath the covers, he turned out the lamps in the room, the flames disappearing and leaving the room in darkness.  Then he climbed under the light blanket.

            "If you steal all the covers, I'm not going to be responsible for what happens," she murmured sleepily.

            "I doubt I will," he replied quietly.  If she was seriously going to let him sleep in the bed, too, then it had to be explained hwy she probably wouldn't get her fair share of the mattress.  After chewing on his lip for a few moments, he but the bullet.  "Little one… you do know that a vampire…" He choked the words out, double hard after what she had said to him.  "A vampire has to sleep in the same position it died in, right?"

            Nire's ears perked up, suddenly wide awake and alert.  But still she feigned sleepiness.  "You don't look all that dead to me."

            "I am the living dead," he snarled, angered at her refusal to take what he was saying seriously.

            "Whoa, easy there, tiger," she soothed.  "Not that I wouldn't dearly love to learn more about you, why are you telling me this now?"

            Jander took a deep, calming breath.  Trying to lighten what he was saying, he replied in a joking voice, "So that I don't get the shit beaten out of me when you're not getting your fair share of the bed.  My death… was a violent one…"

            He could see Nire's nod in the darkness.  "I'll take that into consideration and go easy on you.  Okay?"

            He laughed softly as an answer, quickly retreating into the blissful abyss of a dreamless sleep.  Nire waited until he was sound asleep, filing that tiny tidbit of information away with the rest of the things she knew about Jander.  Damn, he was right - his awkwardly sprawled limbs made him take up almost two-thirds of the bed.  But that wasn't any more than her cat usually took up.  When she was sure that he wouldn't wake up, sure that she could move around, she snuggled closer to him.  What he didn't know was that his arm was in the perfect position to cradle her head.  Once she was comfortable, Jander unconsciously holding her, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire stood in Khelben Arunsun's study, a carefully cultured look of boredom drawn down on her face.  He had been staring at her for the past ten minutes, outwardly passive.  On the inside, he was carefully studying the girl, and trying to make her uncomfortable.  Unfortunately, it was not working.  While he was quite willing to wait all day, he knew that Laeral also wanted to speak with the child.  The way Nire never broke eyes contact, her gray eyes dull and bored, led him to suspect she understood the game, and was as much a master as he.  And while his disapproval radiated through the room, he did not think it affected her at all.

            As for Nire, she knew the game.  She understood what they were playing, having been in both positions before.  So she would stay bored and silent, daydreaming, until Khelben deemed it time to begin his ridiculous scolding.  If he were just to treat her as an errant child, then she would tune that out, too.

            "Is this what you do every time someone tells you anything?" Khelben finally asked quietly.  "You go and test out the truth behind the legend?"

            Because there was no trace of scolding in his voice, Nire came alive enough to answer him fairly.  "Only if that was my intent in the first place."

            Khelben nodded slowly, steepling his long fingers.  He had to tread carefully with this one to be sure his point got across.  "So you deliberately pried me for information, knowing I would think you were merely a curious young mind, seeking tales of adventure?"

            "Uh-huh," she said blithely, no remorse or shame in her voice.  "Look at it this way," she continued lazily.  "I was going in whether I knew anything or not.  At least your information prepared me for what I was up against."

            He had to admit, she did have a point there.  "I would have much preferred it if you had gone into your adventure with a companion, however."

            Nire smiled slightly.  Ina tacit way, he was telling her he would answer anything she asked, as long as she promised not to go alone.  "I did," she said flatly, not willing to give any ground.  Even if he had just given her his permission, for what that was worth.

            "Oh?" Khelben raised an eyebrow to accompany the disbelieving word.  "Then where was he or she?"

            Nire shrugged carelessly.  "Don't know.  Once I got what I wanted, I didn't need him any more.  It's not like I actually *_knew_* him."  She did pause in consideration.  "Perhaps I *_should_* find out what happened to him… Maybe tomorrow."

            Khelben sighed, something Nire found slightly amusing.  She seemed to have an innate ability to make people do that.  "Allow me to rephrase what I said.  I would have preferred it had you brought someone you knew."

            "I'll keep that in mind next time boredom makes my feet itch.  'Kay?"

            There was nothing left for Khelben to do but nod and smile slightly.  At least if she came to him for information, he would know that it was accurate.  And he would have some inkling of what she was planning to do.  That was better than having a distraught vampire show up again, scaring the wits out of him.

            "I believe Laeral wanted to speak to you, also."

            "Wonderful," Nire muttered.  "What is she going to ream me out for?"

            Khelben chuckled as he ushered the girl out the door, leading her down to the kitchen.  Laeral was making… well, he wasn't quite sure that.  But it smelled delicious.  "I have no idea.  But I would suggest that you go a bit easier on Arilyn, child.  She has her own reasons for the way she acts."

            Nire stopped in the middle of the hall.  Strangely, she felt no objection to him calling her 'child'.  But she did not feel up to dealing with the half elf.  Not today.  "Why?  Is she in there?"

            "No.  I'm just telling you that she has her own reasons for being hostile."

            "That's no excuse," Nire said darkly.

            "No," Khelben admitted, "it's not.  But perhaps you could cut her some slack, out of the generosity of your heart?"

            "Made on a whim out of wire and skin, but the creator forgot the heart within."

            Khelben could only blink at that.  It was time to hand her off to Laeral, anyway.  He opened the door in front of her, allowing her to go through. "I hope to see you again, soon."

            Nire gave a sharp nod as he shut the door and beat a hasty retreat.  Laeral was busy preparing a meal, but she dusted off her hands and turned to Nire as the door closed.  The child met the lady mage's eyes coolly, waiting.

            "I don't even know where to start," Laeral said, blatant disapproval in her voice.

            "Then why bother starting at all?" Nire's voice was toneless and cold, testing.  "It's not like either of you are my parents."

            "Well it's obvious you need some," Laeral snapped.

            "So, what, are you offering yourselves to fill the positions?"  A little bit of anger was all Nire allowed to seep into her voice.

            There was a slight pause as Laeral considered this.  "Yes.  *_Someone_* needs to teach you manners.  That poor vampire was terrified that you were dead, yet all you did was lash out at him.  Do you have *_any_* idea how much hurt you caused?"  While Laeral wasn't sure that a vampire was an appropriate companion for a child, for anyone, the look that was on his face tore at her heart.

            Nire's bitter laugh filled the room.  "You think I couldn't see that?  If you people hadn't been there, I would have never let him walk away.  Trust me, I know.  I'm the one who's still trying to convince him that, not only did I not mean it, but that it's not true.  What else?"

            "Going to a place *_Khelben_* wouldn't dare go, and going alone?  What were you thinking?"

            "I didn't go alone.  I'm not that dumb," Nire replied scornfully.  "The guy just didn't leave the same way I did."

            "Did he die?" Her voice was quiet and sympathetic, but Nire just shrugged in response.

            "Don't know.  I was too busy trying to fix the mess I made with Jander to stick around and see if he came out behind me."

            "And couldn't you have solve your issue with Arilyn without resorting to violence?"

            "Sure," Nire said calmly.  "I could have killed her.  Would you have preferred that?  No?  Be glad I only punched her once."

            Laeral decided she had pushed her luck far enough for one day.  At least Nire had not refused when she answered 'yes' to the question about parents.  "Are you staying for dinner?"

            "Can't.  I promised Jander I was coming over as soon as dark fell.  Him 'n' Az are leaving tonight, so I gotta go find my stuff so I can go with 'em."

            "See you soon?"

            "Yep.  See ya."  As Laeral was about to offer to walk her out, Nire stood and stepped forward, disappearing.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty-One

            _Hey, hey, hey.  Did they let you out, Elbereth? _

            _Nire?  You can speak mind-to-mind?  Where *_are_* you? _

            _Same place I met you last time.  Why?  What- _

            Before she could complete the thought, Elbereth, in wolf form, appeared before her.  She resisted the urge to pet his silky fur, even as he changed to elven form.  His eyes were blazing with anger and… relief?  What reason did he have to be relieved?

            "Where in the Nine Hells did you go?"

            He grabbed her shoulders, intent on shaking some sense into her.  At least, he tried to grab her.  As soon as his hands shot out, Nire's hands mirrored his actions and grabbed his wrists.  She jerked him forward, kicking out the back of his knees.  When he landed face-first on the ground, she straddled him, twisting one of his arms behind his back.  He could feel cold steel against the back of his neck.

            "I'll warn you once," Nire said in a voice of winter winds, "and never again.  Do.  Not.  Touch.  Me.  Next time you try will be your last."

            She let go and sprang away,, her knife in guard position, ion case he was going to retaliate.  Elbereth took a deep breath, pushing himself to his feet, praying fervently that he was never against her in a fight.  For her to have pinned *_him_*, a Lythari… He eyed her warily before he spoke.

            "My apologies.  I was not aware of this."

            "Yeah, well, now you know."  She scrubbed a hand across her eyes, putting her knife away.  "Look.  I just came to make sure that you were okay, too.  Not to argue, not to get yelled at by another person for my stupidity."

            She turned to leave.  "Nire, wait!"  Elbereth came hurrying after her.

            "What?" she snapped, whirling around.  All she wanted to do now was go home.  She couldn't deal with any more.

            "If you ever plan to go on another crazy adventure…"

            "I'll contact you."  A faint smile crossed the girl's face.  "In fact, probably soon.  See ya."

            She quickly gated back to her bedroom and flopped down on her bed.  Curling up on her side, she made herself as small as she could, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.  Her life was too much; she couldn't handle much more.  Being able to feel - actually *_feel_* - the animosity people felt towards her was tearing her up inside.  There was no way she would go to Gar and Alea for help, to admit she couldn't handle or do something.

            Instead, she tried to cope the only way she knew how.  By now, her upper left arm had a pretty pattern of fine white lines running across it.  There was a single thick scar crawling its way through the midst of it all, the place where she had cut too deep when Jander had come upon her unexpectedly.  Although she would never admit it, she treasured that day deep within her subconscious.  It was the first time someone had bothered to pretend to care about her.

            But Jander didn't even bother to pretend anymore.  He was slowly pulling away from her, slowly pulling away from Azrael.  It was as tough he wasn't sure how to act around her anymore.  In one moment of thoughtlessness, she had managed to re-erect the wall that he put between himself and others.  No long was he the fun, slightly sad vampire that she loved to be around and could talk to about anything.  Now, he held himself slightly aloof.  Two weeks.  He had been distancing himself now for two weeks.

            She had fucked it up again, just like everything she ever touched.  Every time she did something, *_something_* which ended it all.  Whenever she attempted to help someone in some way, she did something wrong and got screamed at.  Whenever she attempted anything, be it friendship, be it help, be it anything, she somehow screwed it up.  And this time was no different.  She couldn't do anything right.  It was her lot in life, and she was resigned to the fact.

            Her insides felt as though something were constantly squeezing them.  Her stomach, her heart, her lungs… They all were filled with a cold pain, a constant pressure.  She would do anything, absolutely *_anything_*, to make the pain stop.  A giant hand was inexorably squeezing everything.  She couldn't take it for much longer.

            If she did things correctly, however, it would end soon.  She would be released of all of the pain, all of the suffering that she was subject to on a daily basis.  And nobody would have to deal with her again.  Jander would finally be rid of her and everyone would be happy.

            Soon.

*  *  *  *  * 

            Jander couldn't do it.  Emotionally, he just was not able to forgive Nire.  Truly, he wanted to.  He missed talking to her long after she should have been asleep.  He missed being able to tell her anything, missed her being able to tell him everything.  He missed how she would always profess how she hated people being near her, but she would stand only a hairs-breadth away from him.  He missed the way she was constantly there in some way, be it how he could always hear the songs running through her head or how she came to visit for a few moments every night.  She didn't do that anymore.  And he missed how she was *_never_* afraid of him, how her comforting scent permeated almost everything he owned due to her constant presence.

            He wanted nothing more than to forget and move on, to regain that easy camaraderie they once had. M But he just couldn't do it.  Every time he saw her, instead of becoming more relaxed and at ease with himself, he became much more uptight and worried.  What was she going to say next?  How would she hurt him the next time?  He couldn't help but not trust her any more.  Always, he was wondering what she was going to say next, what she was really thinking about him.

            Had he been wrong about her?  Did she really not care at all about him?  If that were so… He was weary, world-weary.  Nire was the last one he expected to look down on him so, and if he couldn't even trust her then there was nothing left for him.

            He was weary and wanted to rest.  He wanted to forgive Nire and get her back from wherever he had lost her to.  But he was tired.

*  *  *  *  *

            Raistlin saw a change in Nire, not a good change.  She became much quieter, not as responsive and eager to banter as before.  It wasn't the way she had been pulling away before.  This was scarier than that; it seemed as though her body was there, but her mind was retreating ever further away.

            Long hours were spent by her in her room in his tower.  He could hear glass rattling and papers shuffling whenever he paused outside the closed door to listen.  One time, he tried getting into the closet where she kept all of her spell components.  To his surprise, it was locked and heavily protected.  While it was unsurprising that she did not trust him, this did spike his curiosity.  Was it just that she didn't trust him not to mess around with her things, or was she hiding something?

            Well, it did not matter.  Whatever she was hiding was hers to hide by right.  He trusted her enough to not create something that would kill her or him.  Kill others; be a weapon of mass destruction; if she made anything like that, it didn't matter.  He trusted her not to kill him with it.

            He watched her interaction with his brother's friends.  She was even more distant from them, but she did throw herself into whatever they were teaching her as though there was no tomorrow.  To his view, none of them noticed this change in her, the change that worried him.  She ate up what they taught with frightening speed, perfecting some things within hours.  There was a cold, ruthlessness about her that said that she had nothing to live for, so she could put her all into things.  The few times he accompanied her and watched what they were doing, he could sometimes see fear in their eyes.  Fear of *_her_*, and it angered him.

            As far as he was concerned, this physical fighting was a ridiculous pastime and not useful.  But Nire enjoyed it, so he dutifully came and watched a few times.  This fear in their eyes as she fought against them, learning at lightning speed, galled him to no end.  She was not someone to be feared, this little lost child.  Her talent was amazing, both in spell casting and fighting.  That strength should be trained and cultivated, not feared, even if the fear was hidden.

            Too often he had seen brilliant young mages, bubbling with talent and exuberance, pick up on the hidden fear of their simple-minded parents and townspeople.  This slowly destroyed them, leaving them cleansed of their talent and broken, unsure and cold, angry and violent.

            Or they turned into him.

            Nire was too much like him anyway.  He didn't want to see what she would be like if this fear continued.  But there was nothing he could do to stop the foolishness.  People feared what they did not understand, and nobody understood this child.  Perhaps that was what was causing this change.  But whatever it was, he didn't like it.

            And there was nothing he could do.

*  *  *  *  * 

            Caramon watched as Nire threw herself into the mock fight, her sword hacking and slashing angrily but always in control.  There was something different in her now.  She was living every day as though it were her last, fighting every fight as though she would never get the joy of combat again, learning every skill as though she was living on borrowed time.

            He liked this girl a lot, and wanted to know what was wrong.  When he brought up the oddity to the rest of his friends, they scoffed ands aid he was imagining things.  But he knew he wasn't.  So he tried talking to her, asking questions and finding out what was the matter with her.  He was met with vague answers and denials every time.  She continued to say that nothing was wrong to the point where he just dropped it.  He could only hope that if something were truly wrong, she would tell him in time.

            But he watched and worried slightly, in the back of his mind.

*  *  *  *  *

            Azrael was absolutely miserable.  He could sense that something was seriously wrong, something between Nire and Jander.  There was a sneaking suspicion within him that Jander only stayed with him because Nire wanted him to.  If there was trouble between them, there was no reason to keep him around anymore.  It wouldn't be the first time he was cast away.

            Jander was distant and Nire was distancing herself.  He figured that he should be used to this by now. After all, he was the child no one wanted, vampire-boy.  Not even those younger than him wanted hi around.  He should be *_used_* to this by now!

            So why did it hurt so much?

*  *  *  *  *

            Nire soaked up everything the Heroes of the Lance taught her over the next few months.,  In between learning fighting techniques, she honed her pick-pocketing skills by stealing money to buy the components need for the spell Azazel had given her.  She did her best to avoid the Arunsun's and all related people.  When she met them in the streets of Waterdeep as she was cruising fro more money or hunting up some rare herb, she was civil, politely declining invitations to visit.

            Carefully, she hoarded her findings in the room Raistlin had given her.  Her closet where she kept spell components was locked with such sp[ells as only she could get pass.  The Red Mage never once questioned her as to what was in there, ands he never told.  Over and over again, she read the directions to make the potion.  Over and over again, until the point where she could say it in her sleep.

            And she slept a lot, too.  When she tried to make this, she needed to be well-rested.  This was going to take all the energy she had to give.  All of it, and probably more.

            Finally, she found the last ingredient.  She was ready to craft.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

****

Disclaimer:  Same as all the last times.  No profit, yada yada yada.

            Nire forced herself to wait until school was out before attempting her latest venture.  Often, the only ting that got her through the days of pain was the knowledge that it would soon be over.  She was so occupied with the thought that she didn't notice how worried Raistlin and Caramon were for her.  She didn't notice how Azrael was almost sick to death with fear of something.

            She *_did_* notice how Jander was pulling away from her.  And she, too, was rebuilding the walls that kept everyone out.  She tried to tell herself that what he was doing didn't matter to her, that it didn't hurt.  She had lost enough best friends over the years.  Admittedly, none so close as the elven vampire.  But still!  It didn't matter, nor did she care.

            And she was almost able to convince herself.

*  *  *  *  * 

            On the very last day of school as the last bell rang and ecstatic children poured from classroom doors, Nire walked sedately to her locker.  It was an empty metal box, devoid of anything personal.  She took out her backpack, shrugging it onto her shoulders, and went to sit in her mom's classroom.  For once, her mother was ready to leave soon after the end of school.  They drove the hundred feet to her house in silence.

            As soon as she got inside, Nire went to her room.  She changed into the clothes she felt most comfortable in - Faerûnian garb, adventurer garb.  She put on a couple of weapons, for the comfort value.  Then she gated to her room in Raistlin's tower.  He had been thoughtful enough to give her a windowless room, which she was never more grateful for.

            She unlocked her cabinet and began lining out all of her supplies on her table.  Tiny vials of fluid, dried herbs, a mortar and pestle, various bowls, and an empty vial with a stopper.  She regarded everything silently for a moment, then turned in a circle, looking around the spacious workroom/bedroom, thankful for Raistlin's generosity.  Once she was done being fatalistic, she removed two parchment envelopes from the recesses of her closet and laid them out near the empty vial.

            Then began the work.  She crushed up dried herbs and flowers with the mortar and pestle, combining them together in a single bowl.  It was just like cooking - dry ingredients and wet combined separately.  Once everything was mixed and thoroughly pulverized, it looked like a batch of greenish-gray dust.  Knowing that if she lost too much to drafts coming into the room that she would have to start all over again, she covered the bowl with a piece of cloth.

            Nire was not a stupid child.  She knew how to bake.  She couldn't cook to save her life, but if someone handed her a recipe for some sort of baked good, she could whip up a mean batch of whatever it was.  And she had a suspicion that the potion was jus that – a baked item.  Probably needing the precision of candy making.

            Keeping that supposition in mind, she began measuring out the various amounts of the liquids that were needed.  As each item was added, the concoction became muddier.  The addition of basilisk saliva –which had cost her a pretty penny – abruptly changed the color to a vibrant purple.  An interesting reaction.  When the mixture called for a few drops of blood, she cut her own finger open and added the three drops.

            Finally, that part was done.  She began sprinkling the dried ingredients in, stirring slowly and constantly.  The powder was quickly dissolved into the murky purple liquid.  As soon as the last bundle was put in, Nire stopped stirring, positive that everything was fully dissolved.

            Before she could finish, she had to let everything sit for half an hour.  To pass the time, she put everything away.  All that was left was a piece of cheesecloth, the empty vial, the bowl of liquid, and the envelopes.  With everything away, she took out a clear jar and a _saromika_ root.  She had to make a tincture of the root to add as the very last ingredient.  This would supposedly make the potion palatable to a vampire, and her power would invest it with what was needed to cause the changes.

            She set about making the tincture.  This wouldn't be a very strong tincture, seeing as how it would only be sitting for about twenty minutes.  But that was all the directions called for.  Taking out her special, hidden supply of 100 proof rum, she added some of it to the jar containing the diced root, stopping when it was fully covered.  Then she added another couple inches of water and screwed the lid on tightly.  That done, the jar was put in a paper bag that she pulled from her closet.  Every few minutes, she shook up the jar.  When the half hour that the liquid needed to sit was almost up, she grabbed out a clean bowl, and put a piece of cheesecloth at the bottom.  Then she poured the contents of the jar in and lifted up the cheesecloth by all four corners.  Quickly, she wrung out all of the liquid that she could get.  Then she dumped the liquid back into the jar and put it back in the paper bag.  Once again, she cleaned up her workspace so that only a few things were left on it.

            Almost too soon, it was time for the final step.  To say she wasn't nervous would be lying, but Nire was committed to her course.  She knew she was taking the coward's way out, but that didn't matter.  Just because some people were able to cope with life didn't mean that she could cope with hers.  At least she was doing something good, doing one thing _right_ before she died.  Even if Jander hated her, even if he was almost exactly the same as the rest, at leas he had pretended to be her friend.  And perhaps it had been the truth, until her big mouth had destroyed what they were building.

            She wished that there were something she could do for Raistlin, too.  She would love to be able to give him normal sight again.  Unfortunately, she did not have the power to alter a curse bestowed by the gods.  Just doing this might be too much for her, but she sure as hell was going to die trying.  And, even if she could do it, she knew she would die.  That was what she wanted.

            Carefully, she picked up the last piece of cheesecloth and yet _another_ clean bowl.  Putting the cloth over the top, she poured the liquid, and the debris gathered at the bottom, onto the cheesecloth.  She lifted it up, the purplish liquid dripping from the bottom.  Squeezing and twisting carefully, she wrung every last bit into the bowl.  Then, she tossed out the goop and cloth.  The murky purple liquid, very watery, was poured into the vial.

            Now was the time.  She took the tincture in one hand and began to pour it into the vial.  Upon the first droplet landing inside and spreading in miniscule ripples in concentric circles, the potion turned clear and a faint mist began to rise from the top.  She hadn't thought such an abrupt color change to be possible, but this was magic.  With such craft, anything was possible.

            She began to pour her power into the potion, pouring everything she was and could be into the fluid.  Everything went into making this work.  Soon it was being _drawn_ out of her and into the spiraling depths of the vial.  The empty glass clattered to the table, falling from her nerveless fingers, ands till she was putting everything she was into the vial.  Soon there would be nothing left.  It felt as though she was soda being sucked through a straw, an intriguing sensation.

            She could only hope that it was enough as she distantly felt her knees buckling, still pushing out everything she had.  Her body felt like a separate entity now.  She was separated from everything, distant, unattached.  If this was dying, she wondered why she hadn't tried it sooner.  Black flowers, death posies, blooming in front of her eyes, she knew she had to call out to Jander, to get him here before the power dissipated.

            _Jander, _ she mentally gasped as she finally succumbed to he emptiness inside of her.  Her limp body thudded loudly to the floor, collapsing like a puppet whose strings were cut.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander woke abruptly, unsure of what had disturbed his rest.  A vague uneasiness filled him as he looked around the sparse room.  The feeling was growing as nothing became apparent, yet he knew that something must have interrupted his sleep to be awake this early in the afternoon.

            _Jander…_ Nire's mental tone was weary to the point of a coma.

            _That_ was what was wrong!  The little place in the back of his mind where he kept track of Nire, that piece of him he didn't remember about most of the time, was fading.  Something happened to her, was happening, something bad.  For the moment, he forgot about how distrustful he was of her now, and desperately searched for where she was.  It took less than a nanosecond for him to ascertain that she was at Raistlin's tower, and to think, _What the hell is that bastard doing to her?_

            As the thought, more a feeling, was completed, that emptiness was abruptly in his skull, the feeling of Nire was completely gone.

            And he knew she was dead.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 23/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer: Jander and Raistlin belong to WotC.  Nire and Azrael belong to me.  I'm getting no profit out of this, barely even any good reviews.  No copyright infringement is intended, this is just something to pass the days until the end of the world.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.****

****

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

            All thoughts of how he had been ready to leave all mortals behind and go off on his own were lost from Jander's mind at this immediate crisis.  Without a thought for anything else, he gated to Nire's room.

            Raistlin was already there, kneeling next to Nire.  He had felt the vast outpouring of power that lasted less than a minute wash through his tower.  He had run up to her room, wondering what the damn fool girl was doing.  As soon as he saw her on the floor, he dropped to the knees beside her and felt for a pulse, frantically searching.

            Upon seeing his pale face, Jander knew that the mage had done nothing to Nire - she had done it all herself.  He dropped to his knees on the to her side of her, not fearing being in the mage's presence for the first time in a while.  Listening intently, he could hear a weak, struggling heartbeat, and faint, faint breath whispering past her lips.  She was alive, but only barely.

            Raistlin raised his stricken face to look across the body at Jander, unmindful of the danger presented by being in the same room as a vampire.  Whatever she did, she had been planning it.  This was the wrongness he had sensed for the past few months.  Whatever she had done, she had been planning it, and everyone else had been clueless.  Jander's throat was tight as he raised his eyes to meet Raistlin's so tight that he couldn't speak.  When he finally did, his voice was hoarse.

            "She's alive.  Barely."

            A look of relief filled Raistlin's face as he said, "Help me get her onto the bed."  His voice was strained.

            Jander easily lifted her, his stomach twisting in knots.  Oh, gods, if she died… He laid her gently on her cot, and then moved out of the way so that Raistlin could get in and heal her as well as he was able.  As he stepped away, his hands were shaking.  What a _fool_ he had been!  He was drawing away from her, being angry with her, for such a stupid reason.  She hadn't meant what she said and he could understand why she had lashed out at him.  Her heart was failing, even as Raistlin worked on her, and she still thought hat he was angry with her, that he hated her.  When she had called him, he could feel her sorrow at that, and her hopes that this would rectify everything.  Whatever this was.

            So he watched Raistlin, his arms crossed protectively over his chest.  For the first time in a long time, he prayed to any gods that were listening to let Nire live.  Raistlin soon had her stabilized, her heartbeat still weak but not faltering as before.  He could now see her chest rising and falling with each breath.  For now, she would live.  Whatever she did wouldn't kill her in the next few minutes.  Raistlin moved back from her unconscious body.

            His face was pale and drawn, quite obviously tired.  He had exhausted every healing and life-giving spell that he knew.  "Let's find out what she was making."

            Not acknowledging the spoken words, Jander continued to stare at Nire.  Everything had changed within moments.  Now he realized that, even if he had left, in a few years he would have made his way back to her.  He would have returned, if only to see how she was doing.  Having met the lass, he could not imagine a world without her.  When had his life become so wrapped up in hers?  A dangerous thing for a vampire, that was.  He couldn't imagine never being able to draw a laugh out of her again, never hearing her tell him her troubles, never telling her _his_ troubles.  If he hadn't been so self-centered…

            As he examined her workspace, Raistlin felt as though his heart were being crushed in a vise.  He wasn't sure just when he had come to view this child as his best and closest friend and protégé, but it had happened.  If she died right now, he would never be able to forgive himself.  He should have pressed her for what was wrong, kept a closer watch on the things she was creating.  He could have prevented this if he had!  But now, now her blood would be on his hands.

            Two envelopes caught his eye.  One had his name on it and the other had Jander's, both written in Nire's round handwriting.  He silently handed the appropriate one to the vampire and then opened his.  Perhaps this would provide some answers to why and what.

            Without preamble, in bold letters, she had written, _CORK THE DAMN BOTTLE_, across the top of the page.  A sad smile briefly filling his face at her typical abrasiveness, he corked the open vial that was filled with clear fluid.  Then he returned to what she had written.

_Raist-_

_ Hey, man.  If you're reading this, I guess I'm dead.  Wow, that's cool to think about.  I guess you're wondering just what the hell did I do.  Okay, well, the thing I had you cork is for Jander.  Ya know, "cure" some of the things that make him a vampire.  Make sure he drinks _all_ of it, okay?  I figured I'd do one thing good for someone in repayment for making all of your lives miserable all these years._

_ If I could have thought of something to do for the both of you, I would have.  The two of you were the ones who most pretended to be my friends.  I must say that you both deserve awards for dissembling so.  But it was either give him the semblance of mortality, or get rid of your hourglass eyes.  And, well, Jander's going to live forever.  You're not.  I'm sorry, but either spell would have killed me.  I hope you understand._

_ I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me.  This room has been a valuable retreat, and your lessons a welcome diversion.  I'm sorry that I didn't last long enough for your work to pay off.  I hope that whatever you planned to use me for can still be carried out._

_ I'm out, man.  If the others notice that I'm gone, tell them whatever you want.  I know that my parents won't notice, so don't bother telling them.  Everything in this room is now yours, obviously.  Although Jander will undoubtedly be glad I'm dead, odds are he'll find some way to feel guilty, so make sure he drinks that.  Thanks again for everything._

_ ~Nire_

            Raistlin was surprised to feel a slow wetness trickling down his cheeks.  He was crying.  His poor lass had been worse than any of them had though.  He should have _seen_ this coming!  But instead… Never before had he felt this sick with worry.  He had exhausted all healing spells he was able to use in one day, but he wasn't sure if it was enough.  Sure, he could see her breathing, he could feel a weak pulse, but that outpouring of power had been _her_.  That had been her life power, her life force, everything she was.  This was planned, right down to her death.  Nire never did anything halfway.  She _always_ accomplished her goal.  Whatever spell she had done, she knew it would take enough power and energy out of her to kill her.  If she didn't want to live, all the healing spells in the world couldn't make her live.  He could only wait and pray.

            Jander couldn't stop staring at the lifeless body on the cot.   Even when she was doing nothing, Nire had always seemed as though her mind was running.  Even when she slept.  Now, nothing seemed to be home in there, nothing at all.  His sweet little one seemed to be gone.  His mind finally focused on the paper in his hand.  Numbly, he opened the envelope, cracking the black wax that she used as a seal.  Nire's strong writing popped out at him.

_Jander~_

_ Ah, 'tis the end of an era - no more will you have to put up with my annoyances or anything about me anymore._

            He was already crying, bloodtears rolling down his cheeks.  Why didn't she understand the he  _enjoyed_ her company?  He loved having his little one around, keeping him entertained, keeping him _happy_, regardless of whether he wanted her there or not.  Her persistence was one of the things he loved about her.

_ Remember that time on the hill when I asked what you wanted most in the world and you said the be mortal?  Well, I do.  And, while I can't do that, this is the best I could do._

_ I can already see you trying to feel guilty about this, regardless of the fact that you're glad I'm gone.  Well, don't.  You, of all people, should know that I'm glad I'm dead.  And this isn't your fault.  You just gave me a good means to an end.  Had I not done this, been waiting for this, I would have slit my wrists or something much earlier.  Oh, yeah, I can hear you wishing that I had done that so I was out of your life sooner.  Sorry, man._

            This was all his fault, whether she wanted to let him admit it or not.  She must have been planning this since that night.  If he had just kept his damned mouth shut, none of this would have happened.  This is why he should have left long before.  Whether by its own hand or indirectly, a vampire only caused a mortal death.

_ When I snapped at you that day, I had just come back from getting the recipe for this potion.  And that was why I said what I did.  I was so angry because I was trying to help, and you were yelling at me just like everyone else has always done when I try to do something right.  I know that you had no clue what I was doing, so I couldn't blame you, but I did anyways._

_ You will _never_ understand how sorry I am.  Never.  Out of all the people I know, you have the most right to tell me when I'm being stupid, or to chastise me.  I should of just taken it like I was an adult, instead I lashed out like the child I am, saying the first words I knew would hurt you.  If I could go back in time, I never would have said anything.  But I did, and I am eternally sorry for that._

_ You were truly my best friend, my closest friend.  Whatever your ulterior motive, I thank you.  You were always there for me to talk to, whether I wanted to or not.  All I can do is thank you, and say that I am sorry.  Words are not enough, so I hope this will do._

            He absently wiped tears from his face, even as more red streaks quickly replaced the ones that had been brushed away.  If he had done things differently, made her feel more wanted or _something_, none of this would have happened.

_ Okay, I'll get to the point.  What you can and can't do.  You can go out in the sun again, although I'd suggest only for short periods of time at first, or else you'll get a wicked bad sunburn.  Running water is all cool again - you can go swimming in rivers and shit again, and it won't do whatever and you won't sink.  No more Black Thumb, so you don't have to wear those ridiculous white gloves anymore - assuming, of course, that's why you wear them.  I'm not sure about holy shit - you'll have to check that out yourself.  Holy water, though, is normal water again. Basically, everything bad about being a vampire is taken away and everything good remains.  You're some kind of superman now.  How cool is that?_

_ Now, I suppose you're wondering about blood.  To that, I have good news and bad news.  The good news first, of course.  You cane at mortal foods, drink mortal drink, and it will be assimilated into your system the same way blood is.  And they won't taste like shit the way I'm assuming they do now.  However, you can't just survive on that, you still have to drink blood.  And now, you can't starve yourself the way you do.  If you continue your habit of not feeding until you're half-dead, your body will start rejecting mortal good until it gets the sustenance it needs.  So it's good and bad._

_ Well, it was a fun trip.  Thanks for everything.  If you ever die, you can bet your ass that I'm going to be fighting my way up from the Ninth Level of Hell to visit you in whatever level of Heaven you get sent to.  _Drink the potion_._

_ ~Nire_

            He groaned weakly, the papers fluttering to the floor from his numb hands.  He could only stare at the body on the bed.  Everything that she had one for him… Had this just been an ultimate attempt to escape him so that she wouldn't feel guilty?  He didn't think that he could bear to drink the vial, not knowing what it had cost.  He just couldn't.

            Raistlin could clearly see the thoughts running across the vampire's face.  His mind had already wrapped itself around the thought that Nire might die, enough to at least think past it, and was now concentrating on what he could have done to make her live.  The child wasn't going to die without a fight, not if he could help it.  But still, he used the words that he knew would galvanize the vampire into action.

            "Don't you dare," he hissed in unfeigned anger.  "Don't you _dare_ even _consider_ not drinking that.  If you don't drink what she made for you, then you have made her death worth _nothing_.  Do you understand me?  She laid her life at _your_ feet for inspection, and if you decide that she isn't good enough, if she gave up her life for you to waste it, then you will have to answer to me and all of her friends."

            Jander didn't bother to argue that he would be doing so because of different reasons.  What Raistlin said made sense, though, and had the desired effect.  Although his entire body felt frozen, and it was obvious in his walk, he went to the small, corked vial.  Before he even picked it up, he glanced at Raistlin and at Nire, his face streaked with red tears.  Raistlin's golden eyes, now dry, glared at him angrily.  Jander could feel the blame flowing from him.  He stared miserably at the small vial and the clear liquid within.

            He picked it up ad uncorked it, swirling the liquid.  It looked like water, smelled like water… His heart felt as though it were slowly being crushed in his chest.  He'd rather have her here, alive and well, and him still a cursed vampire than have her dead and him mortal.  Hadn't he done enough to show her that?  Hadn't he shown her how much he treasured his company?  As of late, he hadn't.  Not really.  Instead, he had been avoiding her.  And for that, he was eternally sorry.  Perhaps if he had not been feeling so damned sorry for himself, he would have _seen_ this coming.

            Forcing back his tears of grief, swallowing the screams of torment that threatened to burst forth, he pondered the vial.  Expecting a bitter flavor, the way it slid coolly down his throat was a welcome surprise.  It tasted similar to his memories of elverquisst, liquid silver going down his throat.  He swallowed, the coolness settling in his stomach.  The sensation spread through his body, to the lower extremities of his limbs and up into his head.  It was gone as quickly as it had spread, and he felt no different.  Nire had given up her life for naught.

            "Happy?" he asked bitterly, speaking to Raistlin but his brooding silver eyes focused on Nire.

            Raistlin sighed disgustedly.  It finally clicked in his head that he truly had nothing to fear from this vampire.  "You are truly pathetic.  Get a grip on yourself.  She's not dead yet.  I assume she taught you some general healing magic.  You better start using it on her."

            Numbly, Jander walked to the cot and began doing just that.

*  *  *  *  *

            A week later, there was no change.  Jander had yet to leave Nire's bedside, even Raistlin didn't really want to leave her room, in case she suddenly woke up.  Or in case she suddenly died.  He understood that the vampire's torment was as great as his own, perhaps more so.  Because of this shared suffering, he tried to be nice to Jander, tried to be friendly.  He began to see that this was not some monster, just an elf with a horrible curse.  If Nire lived, he wouldn't worry about her anymore, not if Jander stuck around.  The level of devotion he displayed to the child was astounding.  Of course, most of it could be chalked up to grief, but still, it was astonishing.

            "Perhaps you should see if the potion worked," he suggested quietly one day.

            Jander shook his head dejectedly.  "I… I just can't," he said and left it at that.

            Raistlin put a friendly hand on Jander's shoulder, surprised when the vampire flinched away.  "She's going to be okay.  You know Nire, she's a fighter.  And what seems good at one moment won't seem as good at the next.  Just give her time to make up her mind."  It was utter balderdash, but it seemed to comfort Jander, who smiled weakly.

*  *  *  *  *

            Two weeks.  It had been two weeks.  Raistlin let Jander stay in Nire's room and the elf never left her bedside.  Sometimes he talked to her, apologized, begged her to come back.  Raistlin had never seen anyone so attached to, so filled with guilt over one person.  Together, they healed Nire's body back to what it was before by the third day.  Her mind just wasn't there.

            Raistlin was beginning to lose hope.  Pretty soon, they would just have to let her body die.  A body can't survive without a mind.  At times, grief almost overwhelmed him.  His hands would start to shake and he would have to stop whatever he was doing.  But then he would get a hold of himself and sublimate everything.  Even with all of her faults, Nire was the most loyal, the closest of all who had ever said they were his friend.  He would certainly miss her greatly.

            Jander looked absolutely awful.  He hadn't eaten anything, nor left the room for two weeks.  His face was a sickly bronze and his hair was getting dry, like straw.  The mix of his emotional turmoil and the fact that he was starving himself made the physical manifestations appear quicker.

            "Please," he whispered, holing her hand.  "Please, little one.  Please wake up, I'm begging you.  You're too young to die like this, much less so soon."

            You don't know what you have until it's gone.  Over and over, running through his mind, was how much of a fool he was.  Why couldn't he have appreciated what he had?  A best friend, a daughter, a sister, a confidante.  But he had to be a stubborn ass, always assuming the worst about her.  She was there because she pitied him; she looked down on him like all the rest; she was there just because he was an interesting diversion.  He had let all of his insecurities creep up and overwhelm him.

            No one - _no one - could understand why this child was so important to him.  She was the first and the _only_ person ever since he had been curse with this evil, to look at him and _not_ see evil.  Even in the very beginning, even when she had no idea of who he was, __even then, she was defending him.  Even when he wouldn't stand up for himself, even when he backed down and ran, she would stay and fight for him.  Whether it was to her friends or to total strangers.  Sure, she lashed out at him when she was mad, but they were empty phrases that held no meaning, not when they were coming from her mouth._

            Of course, he had been too thickheaded to see that until now.  Now that it might be too late to apologize for being so stupid.  Hindsight was always perfect vision.  What a stupid fool he had been!

            He was drawn out of his self-destructive thoughts by an increase in Nire's heartbeat, which he was finely attuned to by now.  Her eyes were flickering, which was more than they had ever done during this death-like coma.  Perhaps she was waking up!

*  *  *  *  *

            Tight knots tying in his stomach, clenching tighter and tighter, kept Azrael awake at night.  He had been abandoned once more.  Jander had abruptly disappeared, leaving him all alone.  Admittedly, all of the vampire's belongings were still in the room, but he had been gone for two weeks.  Azrael held onto a little bit of hope for a while that he was coming back.  Now, though, he was resigned to the fact that he was alone again.

            It was to be expected.  That was the way things were.  He could take care of himself, he was able to survive on his own.  But after having a tiny taste of what it _might_ be like to have people who cared for him, the teenager didn't _want_ to live on his own again.  He missed Jander and Nire deeply.  Why had they both abandoned him?  He hadn't done anything; what made him unwanted by everyone?  Oh, of course, he was the vampire-boy.  Someone who not even a _vampire wanted around._

            It was time to leave, take some of the money from Jander's things and leave.  But… he would wait another couple days.  Just in case.

~~End Chapter Twenty-Three~~


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Disclaimer:  Nire belongs to me.  Ao belongs to WotC.  The idea of the higher pantheon and the Void belong to me.

            When Nire collapsed, everything went dark. She returned to consciousness in slow stages.  At first, everything was dark, but she was aware of floating in the darkness.  Ever so slowly, thoughts began to return.  If this was being dead, it wasn't so bad.  Although, she might die of boredom eventually.  The dead dying.  That was a thought.  It was dark, still, even when she was fully conscious.  She could have been out for seconds or centuries.  Time had no meaning anymore, not in this void.  Perhaps she had nothing left - she was just a point of consciousness without a body in a void of nothing.

            She had the sensation, some innate knowledge, that if she wished, she could return to her body.  She could find it, wherever it was, and go back.  She could have a corporeal form.  Although whether this meant going back to her body or something different was vague.  For a while, she contemplated this, thought about he difference.  While she didn't want to go back to her body, having a form might be nice so she could explore this oblivion.

            Her mind began wandering before it settled on a conclusion.  Why was her luck always this bad?  Being dead, while it could be worse, really sucked.  She would have much preferred that she just ceased to exist.  Be no more, her thoughts and whatever made her _her_ just disappear into oblivion.  Why couldn't it be like before she was born?  Having thoughts wasn't what she wanted; she wanted to just cease to exist.  But she wanted to go back to her body even less.

            Then, there was a voice.  Or a telepathic voice.  Or a thought.  She wasn't quite sure what, but it was in her head, and it was speaking to her.

            _You have to go back._

_            I don't have to do anything._

_            You have to go back to your body, child._

_            No I don't.  And don't call me 'child'._

_            You must return to the living.  It is not your time._

_            Bullshit it's not.  I say it is, therefore it is.  You can't make me._

_            Child, you cannot understand how important it is that you return to your body.  You cannot stay here._  The stentorian Voice sounded sure of itself and used to being the authority.  Buts he was getting the sensation that he _couldn't_ make her.  And now she was getting curious as to why this Voice was so insistent.

            _Sure I can, and I will.  I'm done with life._

A bit of frustration colored the Voice.  _You don't understand-_

_            Damn tootin' I don't.  And I'm not until I get a damned good reason why I should go back to that hellhole called living._

_            It is Destiny._  The Voice sounded as though it knew that wouldn't work, but it was worth a shot.

            _Fuck my Destiny._

_            No, not just yours.  The fates of many more than you know hinge on your going back._

_            Why should I give a flying fuck about what happens to anyone other than me?  I was put on the earth alone, and now I am pleasing myself._

A gust of a sigh blew through her head and she became aware of the feeling of great age and ancient power that accompanied the Voice.  _Then come with me and I will explain._

Acting on instinct, Nire willed herself to go wherever the Voice was going.  There was no sensation of movement, but that was to be expected.  Nire knew enough of science and physics to know that it was impossible to sense movement if there was no point of relativity to focus on.  In a black void, there was nothing, no sight, no wind.  But she was relatively sure that she was moving.

            The fact was assured when she was suddenly not in the void anymore.  She was back in her own body, a very disappointing happenstance.  But she was no longer in Raistlin's tower.  She was sitting in a comfortable old leather armchair, a fire roaring in a beautiful fireplace to the side of her.  An antique mahogany mantel framed the fireplace, carefully tooled with designs of dragons and unicorns.  She was in a giant library, filled with books in every language imaginable.  This was heaven for her.  But she knew it was not Heaven.

            An old mans at in the chair across from her.  Silver hair framed a wrinkled, wise face with sparkling blue eyes.  He looked faintly amused and was dressed in clothes similar to hers.

            "Well?" Nire asked impatiently, discretely shifting got check for the weight of her weapons.  She was armed.  "Better start explaining, buddy.  I was quite content being dead."

            The amusement of the old man grew, his eyes twinkling merrily, which only served to piss her off more.  "Do you know who I am, child?"

            "Once more, this enters the realm of, why should I give a flying fuck?"

            "Do you know where you were?"

            "Happily dead."

            The man sighed.  "Do you know _what_ you are, child?"

            "A happily dead girl.  I thought I was the one supposed to be asking questions."

            Amusement was warring with frustration on the old man's face.  "Do you want to know the answers to those questions I asked?"

            "Sure.  Why not.  Do enlighten me."  The power that filled the room was buzzing through her, making her feel light-headed and dizzy.  Why couldn't she have just _poofed_ and ceased her desolate existence?  No, that would have been too easy.

            "I am Ao, also called the Overfather.  Do you know that name?"

            "Yeah."  Nire mused, "I s'pose I should be a bit nicer to you, then.  All right, so you're the head honcho.  Where was I?"

            Ao was definitely amused with this child.  She had no idea just what she was and yet she had no reverence at all, anyway.  She spoke to him as though he were just another Joe on the street.  There was no doubt that she truly believed he was who he said he was.  He felt her mind delicately probing his, and mentally jerked in surprise when she almost got past his barriers.  She was almost ready for her Destiny.

            "Perhaps explaining what you are will explain that better.  I have been a god for aeons upon aeons.  I have seen empires rise and fall, worlds form and be destroyed.  I have watched gods under my rule being created and fall out of power."

            "And yada yada yada.  Get to the point.  I'm not impressed."

            The sparkling, grandfatherly blue eyes suddenly grew cold.  Just as quickly, they were back to being warm and grandfatherly.  But Nire was no longer fooled.  The power she could feel from the man sitting across from her, the way he held himself, led her to believe that he truly was Ao.  While people might not think that she knew when to shut up, she did.  She knew how to push a person to the limit, then back off.  Now was certainly a time to back off.

            "As you can well imagine, I am tired.  For the past century, I have been laying plans for my replacement."  Nire had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as he continued to speak.  "Then, I put my plan in place.  I picked a world with the right atmosphere to raise a baby god, and picked a couple who would provide the right parenting.  I invested the man's seed and the woman's egg with my power.  Nine months later, you were born."

            "Bull shit!" Nire interrupted.

            "Oh?  Then explain to me why you pick up on everything so fast.  Pray tell, just _how_ do you master fighting techniques in three hours that take grown men three years?  And how do you manage to be an equal, if not better mage than a man more than twice your age?  How is a twelve-year-old more knowledgeable than the adults around her?"

            There was no answer to that.  She didn't know, she just assumed that it was because she had talent.  But she was certainly trying to think up a valid reason.

            "Part of it, child, is that you have natural-born talent.  Talent that I did not bestow upon you.  But, too, it is because you are a godling."

            "A godling?" she asked sarcastically, removing her mind from the fact.  "Wouldn't it be a goddessling?"

            "God is the general term for a god or goddess.  And when a person is made with the specific intent of being a deity when he or she comes of age, that person is known as a godling."

            "Oo, the semantics of it all."  She rolled her eyes.  "So, this has been done before?"

            "Of course.  Many times.  Although, not as often as a follower is merely chosen and invested with the powers of the god."  He smiled gently.  "Denying it and being sarcastic won't change the fact."

            "Bully for you.  It doesn't matter, seeing as how I don't believe in said fact."

            "Oh, but deep down, you do.  In your heart of hearts, what I am saying feels right and you know it is true.  This is the explanation you have been looking for as to why you feel so different from everyone else, why you don't fit in."  The grandfatherly smile was back, warm and comforting.

            Nire wanted to throw something at him.

            She sat back deep in the chair, unconsciously steepling her fingers and bowing her head to think.  Okay, so she sure as hell didn't want this to be true.  She could only imagine the way people would react if they ever found out.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had decided that she was going back, regardless.  But how others would react if this were true… She could already feel the fear, see the people pretending to be her friends just for the power she could bestow upon them, for a myriad of reasons except the one she wanted, needed.  No one would be her friend because they enjoyed her company.

            Searching deep, she ignored everything else that was trying to overwhelm her.  All of the hidden truths she kept locked away, truths that she didn't want to know about, tried to make themselves known.  She ignored them all and searched for the little place that knew he was right.  And, much to her dismay, she found it.

            Not one for knowledgeably deluding herself, she slowly opened her gray eyes to regard Ao from around her steepled fingers, not bring up her head.  Her eyes rolled up to focus on his all-knowing blue orbs.  There was a dangerously feral look about her as she slowly raised her head, her eyes never leaving his, allowed her hands to fall to the chair arms, and straightened in the chair.

            "All right, so I am a godling.  Whatever, I can't change what I am.  Hell, I can even use this to my advantage.  But there's no way in fucking hell I'll ever actually become a god.  So sorry, but you're going to have to make someone else before you die.  If I don't kill myself again, I'm gonna make Jander make me a vampire.  But _never_ will I be a god."

            "Yes you will."  He spoke with the surety of one who could see the future.  "But that is beside the point.  And I am not dying, I am merely retiring.  You will need someone here to teach you how to handle everything.  And then, when you have it under control, I will return to the higher pantheon and live there until the end of all time."

            "I'm not going to argue the point.  I _know_ I won't, you think I will, and neither of us will change out minds.  'Tis a lost cause, so why don't we move on to something more important."  She accepted everything with an astounding amount of matter-of-factness.  "I'm assuming, of course, that you've been watching over me since I was born."

            "Watching, yes.  Interfering, not in the least.  Once I created how you looked and what your personality was, I stopped."

            "Okay," she said slowly.  "That's all well and good.  But why, when you saw what kind of people you had put me with, why didn't you put me somewhere else?"

            Ao looked decidedly uncomfortable as she regarded him, daring him to give her the answer she feared was coming.  She knew, from the way he was sitting, from the set of his features, that he didn't want to tell her the truth.  Apparently even the great Overfather had some sort of conscience.

            "That was the environment needed to raise a godling."

            This was the first time in her life that Nire went empty.  The first, but certainly not the last.  Her gray eyes were steely and cold, unemotional.  There was no one home in her head; an unthinking machine had taken over.  Inside, she felt nothing, at most cruelly calculating.  She knew that she was nowhere near powerful enough to hurt Ao right now, but in a few years, she would be.  And then he would pay.

            Nire's face, her visage, her body was remarkable similar to that of a sociopath, or that of a hitman.  Ao continued to explain.

            "You needed to grow up not dependent on others, but dependent on yourself.  You couldn't have a family that you would regret leaving behind.  Your environment formed you so you did not and do not trust people.  And you _can't_ trust others as one of the most powerful gods.  You couldn't have friends that you wouldn't want to die.

            "Of course, I didn't count on you meting who you did and forging the friendships that you have, despite your best efforts to destroy them."  He paused for a moment and seemed to be looking far off into the distance.  Then his eyes snapped back to refocus on her.  "Interesting.  The future has not been changed by me telling you all of this."

            "Bully for you," Nire said stonily.  She had slowly regained life as he spoke.,  But now, her body, her self, was filling with a cold rage.  This was the anger that stayed long and hid deep and festered.  She would hold onto this all through her life until it was time to unleash her wrath.  She had been trained to hold grudges for as long as possible and then enact revenge with deadly accuracy and lancing bites.

            "Do you see why you need to go back, child?  Do you see why you need to live?"

            "You know what?  No.  I don't.  But I will, damn you, I will."

            "You know, child, they truly are your friends.  They are your true family, something I never anticipated."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  So the only good thing that ever happened in my life wouldn't have occurred if you had anything to say about it.  I think I get the point."  From the point onwards, there was something missing in Nire, some piece of humanity that had been traumatized to death.  "I'd say sere you alter, but I really hope I don't."

            "I am sorry, child."

            "Stuff it," she snapped as she willed herself back to her mortal body.

            It was back to the anonymity of the complete darkness.  She assumed that she was moving in the opposite direction as before.  As she moved, she became aware of an increasing dull ache.  When the blackness began to grow gray, she identified the pain as her body.  Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.  But still, she kept moving.

            She knew she was back in her own body, that betraying temple, when the pain peaked at a steady, throbbing ache everywhere and everything was no longer dark.  Now, it was the pale red of looking at a light from behind closed eyelids.

            She opened her eyes.

~~End Chapter Twenty-Four~~


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 25/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer:  Jander, Raistlin, Ao, they all belong to WotC.  Nire and Azrael are mine.  No money is being made, this is purely for my amusement.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

****

            Elation welled in Jander as Nire opened her eyes.  The right feeling that had been clutching at his insides for two weeks was suddenly gone.  His little one was finally awake.  He could feel her again in the very back of his mind, her comforting conscience curling around his spine like a balm to soothe his fears.  Never would he take her for granted.  Never again.

            As Nire opened her eyes, she had to fight back wracking sobs.  The last thing she wanted was to be back n this cursed body and to be back in the realm of the living.  All of the old feelings that she had been trying to escape had come crashing back the moment she opened her eyes, tigers lying in wait.  Not only did her entire body ache with a fierce, all-over pain of weariness she had never felt before, but her insides hurt, too.  Her throat, through lack of water in the past time she had been out, was dry and hurt like a bitch.

            "Drink this, little one."  Jander could see that her throat hurt.  Raistlin had left a pitcher of water by the cot, just in case she awoke.

            She felt cool, gently hands lifting her head up and putting the glass to her lips.  Thirstily, she gulped down the cool liquid, instant relief on her throat.  It settled in her stomach like a thick weight and she could feel it sloshing around in the empty cavern of her belly.  Her thirst was slaked before the glass was empty and Jander lowered her head back to the pillow.  She could sense him crouching by her cot, but she didn't look at him.  Instead, she kept her eyes fixed n the ceiling.  Her mind was racing, drawing conclusions and coming up with courses of actions in the blink of an eye.  It was quite obvious that she had to start pushing them away.  Or maybe not.

            Why was he here, anyway?  When she was sick, she was ignored.  Now that he could do all that mortal stuff, he wouldn't want to be hanging around her.  So why was he here?

            Jander watched her quietly, waiting for her to speak and growing more worried again.  He longed to reach out and touch her soft hair, as he had been free to do when she was unconscious.  He just wanted to reassure himself that she was alive, to comfort her.  He could see in her eyes, staring at the ceiling but not seeing, that something painful was going on in her head.  He just wanted to comfort her.  But knowing how she would react, he kept his hands to himself, just sitting and watching her.  She licked her lips and began to speak, her voice gravely after the loss of two weeks.

            "Why are you still here?"

            That cut through him.  Had he been standing, he would have stumbled backwards.  AS it was, he rocked back on his heels, almost falling over.  It took him a moment to come up with a response, to force his voice to work.  "Wh- why?  Do you want me to leave?"

            Gods, no, she didn't want him to leave.  He might want to leave and only be staying out of guilt, but she wanted him to be there.  She wanted Raistlin to be on her other side for one last time.  But no, he didn't want to be here, so she would absolve him of guilt.

            "You got what you wanted, assuming it worked, so why are you still here?"  She didn't want to hear the answer, but had to ask the question.

            Shock and incredulity skipped across Jander's face in a parody of a merry game.  His mouth gaped open and shut as he tried to force himself to speak, to reassure him.  The shock was so great that his mind couldn't form the words that he wanted to say.

            "You think…" he stuttered.  "You actually… _believe_, that I… I…" Anger now warred with shock.  Hadn't he _done_ enough to show her different?  He and Raistlin, working together but separate?  Why wouldn't she _believe_ them?

            Nire forced her body, which was greatly protesting movement of any kind, to roll over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow so that Jander wouldn't see the tears welling in her eyes.

            "Did you _think_ that _killing yourself_ would affect no one?" he asked, shocked and outraged.  "What, you thought that we all wouldn't be _devastated_ because you were dead?  That we would just shrug and get over it?  Or did you even _bother_ to stop and think about how you were effecting people?"

            Nire's shoulders hitched with silent sobs as she listened to Jander's anger-filled voice.  When he paused to take a breath and refill his lungs so he could continue, she say this and the wind was immediately taken from his sails.  Again, if he could have taken everything back, he would.  As it were, he rubbed her back with one hand, apologizing.

            "Oh, Nire, I'm sorry, little one.  Please don't cry, sweetie, please don't."

            She shifted enough so she could turn and cling to him, a happenstance rarer than blue moons.  Surprised at first, he quickly hugged her tightly to him as she cried on his shoulder.  As quickly as she could, however, she choked back her tears and pushed away, wiping off her face.  Just in time, too, because Raistlin came in, looking dejected and worried.  When he realized that Nire was conscious, a brilliant smile spread across his face.  Jander got out of the way as the man rushed to hug the child.  IN another rare instance, she returned his embrace.

            "You gave us a scare, there, lass."

            "Yeah, I know."  Her stomach growled loudly.  "My empty tummy's not too happy with me.  So how long was I out?"  Her voice was still raspy from lack of use.

            "Two tendays."

            "Holy shit."  She closed her eyes and carefully lay her body back down, stifling groans of pain.  "You got any food layin' around?"

            "Of course."  He shot Jander a look that clearly said, _Keep an eye on her._  When he left, the vampire returned to Nire's bedside.

            Being back in her body sucked.  She hurt all over and was already exhausted.  And starving.  "You look like shit," she commented quietly, her eye starveling up and down his visibly body.

            And it was true.  His hair looked fried out, not the usual silky look of spun gold.  With stark visibility, his cheek bones stood out in his face and his skin hung off his body like close-fitting clothes.  He was much thinner and his bronze skin was a dull, unhealthy  color.

            "I do.  I've been worried sick over you."

            She closed her eyes for a moment, resting.  Maybe Ao was right.  Maybe these two did truly care for her.  But if he was wrong, then she didn't know if she could handle it.  "I'm sorry.  You were right, I was only thinking of myself and wallowing in self-pity."

            "No, you weren't.  Otherwise, you wouldn't have… done it the way you did."

            "Did it at least work?" she asked tiredly.

            "Ah…" This, Jander felt guilty for now that she as awake.  "I don't know.  I didn't exactly try anything…  I, ah, haven't exactly left this room…" He turned his head away and looked down, embarrassed.  Had he been mortal, his cheeks would have been flaming.  Why that embarrassed him s much, he wasn't quite sure.  It just did.

            A huge grin filled Nire's face as he said that.  She pushed away all the reasons that were trying to get her attention as to why he had done that and focused on the one that she needed.  That proved that he actually cared about what happened to her.

            "Thanks man," she said quietly.  "You have no idea how much that means to me."  When he looked back at her again, she continued.  "So, I'll make you a deal.  I will actively attempt to heal and get better if you do the same.  Which means actually _eating_ properly.  Deal?"

            He had to think about that for a moment.  If it made Nire strive to live as opposed to trying to die, then… he supposed it was worth it.  "All right.  Deal."

            "Pinky swear?" she asked, sticking out her little finger.

            "Er, pinky swear."  He copied the movement, unsure as to what that was.  The question was answered when she hooked her pinky around his and shook his hand like that.

            "Good," she said.  "If you break a pinky swear, you die, plain and simple.  God will strike you down on the spot."

            He laughed in delighted surprise at this little bit of childishness coming from Nire.  "All right, little one."

            Her smug smile turned him wary as she pointed to her closet.  "Top shelf in the back, my friend.  Both of 'em, now."

            Slightly confused, but still in good humor, he went and checked on the shelf she direct him to.  The sweet smile faded off of his face as he pulled out two chilled wine bottles.  He turned back to Nire, holding them in front of him like they were poison.

            "Where did you get there?" he asked, his voice strangled.

"A bloodbroker," she said smugly, lying through her teeth.  A few days before, she had snuck into a slaughterhouse and stolen a bucket of pig blood, then filled the two wine bottles.  Some innate knowledge told her that it would keep for a long time if kept cold.

            "You _what_?" he exclaimed, completely shocked.  "Are you insane?"

            "Yep, I am.  Don't get all pissy on my, I took precautions.  And don't you _dare_ try to back out on this.  You _pinky swore_."

            Behind her angry glare, she was scared.  This was the first time in her life she had ever admitted to being scared,. And it was not a happy feeling.  Although she would not admit the rest of it, this was a test.  How much would he do for her?  How much could she trust him?  _How much_?  She studied his face, trying to figure out whether he was going to be angry or if he would just drink the blood.

            Jander could somehow see that this was important to her, though he didn't know why.  But he sure as hell wasn't going to do this without some kind of token protest.  Bloodbrokers weren't scrupulous at all when it came to acquiring their supply.  But… gods.  She had him wrapped around her little finger.  Did she know it?

            "And what about you?  I recall that there was another end to this deal."

            A great relief filled Nire when he said that.  "Raist's making me…" She paused to check, then made a face.  "Ugh.  Chicken soup.  And you damn well better drink both of those right now, right here in front of me so I know you actually drank them.  And hurry up so you're done before Raistlin gets back up here, 'cause then you'll get all squeamish, and he'll get all squeamish and I don't want to have to deal with that 'cause I'm exhausted."  Finally, she stopped and took a deep breath.

            Jander tried to fight back a gin as she said all of that in a big rush, but he couldn't manage to hold the stern, angry look.  It melted into a grin as he shook his head slowly.  But as he used his thumb to force the cork out of one of the bottles, his face regained its unhappy look.  He stared into her eyes as he slowly and deliberately drained the first bottle, trying to convey just how unhappy he was about this.  How was she going to react to seeing, actually _seeing_, him drink blood?  As the first drop hit his tongue and dripped down the back of his throat, he knew from the earthy and robust flavor that it was pig, not human blood.  He hoped the bloodbroker hadn't cheated her out of her money.

            When the entire wine bottle was finished, his body screamed for more and he had to fight extra hard to control his eyes and his fangs.  Admittedly, he did feel much better, warmth spreading through his cold body as the new blood circulated.  The second bottle was finished with much less reluctance.  Psychologically, he felt guilty and a put perturbed that Nire had coerced him into doing this.  A darker part of him enjoyed the blood, loved the taste and the feel.  Physically, he felt _much_ better, if a bit hungry.

            A huge grin had spread across Nire's face and she relaxed as he put down the two bottles on her worktable.  He wiped an arm across his mouth and looked away, clearly abashed and ashamed.  It made Nire's breath catch at how cute it made him look.

            "You look _so_ much healthier already," she told him, happily smiling.

            He looked over at her guiltily.  Gods, he was such a vile beast!  How could she look so proud and delighted?  How could she look upon him feeding on blood like the monster he was and not be disgusted?  He should leave all of these mortals behind, but… He didn't know if he could leave his little one.

            "If I didn't feel like I'd been run over by all the horses and caravans of a gypsy band, I'd get up and hug you right now."

            That got the desired soft chuckle form him, the ashamed look slowly leaving his face.  "Did you know that wasn't human?" he finally asked.

            She snorted some laughter, then winced in pain.  "I can't believe you honestly think I would be stupid enough to go to a bloodbroker without you to guard my back.  I got it from some slaughterhouse on my world."  She snickered again, ignoring how relieved Jander looked.

            When Raistlin came back up to her room with a bowl of chicken soup on a tray, she stared at it with obvious loathing.  Jander helped her sit up, which she had to admit she needed, and she picked up the spoon on the tray.

            "Observe, my friend.  Even though I hate chicken soup, I'm going to eat it anyways without whining because I know that Raist won't make me anything different or let me get away without at least trying some."

            "Oh, stop whining," Raistlin said in good humor.  "It's just broth."  He could tell that something had just happened between the two people in the room, and he _knew_ that he didn't want to know what.

            Grinning, the twelve-year-old began to sip at the golden liquid, occasionally slurping with a twinkle in her eye to annoy the two adults in the room.  When her stomach began to loudly clamor for more, she abandoned her game and began to gulp the hot liquid.  The two men shared a look, glad that this child that they doted upon was feeling well enough to eat.

            "So," she said between spoonfuls.  "What's Az up to?"

            At the dead silence, she slowly looked up at Jander's stricken face.  "Please tell me that you at least told him where you were."

            There was another uncomfortable silence as the vampire mentally cursed himself.  Damn it!  And now Nire was pissed at him again.

            "Jesus Christ, Jander!  I could _kill_ you right now you stupid fucking bastard!  He's going to think he was just abandoned _again_.  You better get your sorry ass back to wherever the hell you left him."

            Muttering something unintelligible, Jander disappeared, looking like a whipped puppy.  Utterly exhausted, Nire closed her eyes and sank down deep into her pillow.  She just wanted to sleep now.

            "One of these days, I'm going to kill him," she said tiredly.  "I really am.  I'm going to drive a stake through his heart.  He is _so_ wrapped up in his own self-pity that he _still_ doesn't realize how much people depend on him."  Realizing the irony of that, she cracked open an eye.  "Don't even open your mouth, Raist.  I think I'm gonna go back to sleep now,' she mumbled, already half-gone.

            Raistlin took away the tray with its empty bowl and covered her up gently, briefly resting his hand on her forehead.  "Sweet dreams, lass."

            He dimmed the lamps as he left the room.

*  *  *  *  *

            Jander appeared in his room at the inn, hoping all of his things were still there and it was still 'his' room.  Luckily for him, everything was as he had left it, save for his money pouch, which was a few coins lighter.  That was to be expected, though.  After all, Azrael was mortal and needed to eat.

            Heaving a sigh of relief, he went to check on Azrael's room to make sure the teenager was still there.  The door t the teenager's room was open, so Jander paused in the doorway.  The pale-skinned boy was standing in the middle of the room, chewing on his bottom lip ad looking like he was trying not to cry.  His pack was by his feet and he was clearly about to leave.  Jander thanked whatever gods were listening that he did not have to chase after the lad.

            "Where are you going, kiddo?" he asked quietly.

            Azrael jerked in surprise and turned the quarter-turn needed to be facing Jander.  His eyes widened visibly in shock and relief.  The next moment, he was hugging Jander and crying into his chest.  Jander rubbed his back soothingly, waiting.  Soon enough, the teenager stopped, realizing his foolishness.  Just because Jander was back didn't mean that he was back for good.  Maybe to get all of his belongings.  That made more sense.  Angry with himself, Azrael backed up a couple of steps.  That still didn't give him the right to disappear without saying goodbye.  Sure, he could handle being left behind again, that was the natural thing to happen.  But not like this.

            So he was pissed off at Jander, too.  He wasn't a thin, scrawny kid anymore.  Being trained in various methods of fighting by Nire had given him muscles.  These muscles he put to use as he clenched his fist and drove it into Jander's abdomen.  There was enough power behind the punch to drive the vampire back a couple steps.

            "If you're going to leave," he spat, "then whatever.  I've taken care of myself before, I can do it again.  But don't just disappear and leave me wondering if you're coming back or not."  He glared at Jander, ignoring the tight feeling in his gut caused by the thought of being alone again.

Once again, Nire's ability to read people was proven to be reliable.  Mentally, Jander was kicking himself. "I'm not leaving, Az.  Nire-"

            Here, he paused, not quite sure what to say, how much to reveal.  The question was answered when Nire told him, her mental voice drowsy, _Go ahead and tell him I tried to kill myself.  Might as well. _

            "She tried to kill herself," the words left a bitter taste in his mouth, "and almost succeeded.  She's been comatose for two weeks, so I've been with her.  I'm not used to having people around who acre or notice if I disappear.  I'm sorry."

            "You damn well better be,' Azrael muttered, a bubble of relief filling him.  "Is she okay?"

            Jander smiled, knowing that he was somewhat forgiven.  "Yes, she is.  She finally woke up today, now she's sleeping."  Only having napped for brief periods of time in the past two weeks, Jander was tired.  "I'm going to go take a nap, then probably go check on Nire.  Do you want to come with me when I do?"

            "Yeah."  Azrael nodded eagerly.

            "Okay.  Goodnight, Az."

            Jander retired to his room, wearily collapsing onto the unused bed.  He only half-stirred each time Azrael cracked open the door to make sure he was still there.  Eventually, he became sick of half-waking every half hour and forced himself to wake up all the way the next time the boy peeked his head in.

            "If you're that worried about me disappearing again," he said groggily, "then just stay in here.  Find something to entertain yourself quietly or get on that side of the bed and go to sleep."

            It was too early for the teenager to sleep, so Jander didn't expect him to lie down.  And, of course, he did not.  With his one half-opened eye, Jander could see the boy come in and close the door.  Why was he this exhausted?  It wasn't normal… Seeing that Azrael was settled on the floor, he allowed himself to fall back asleep.

~~End Chapter Twenty-Five~~


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 26/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer:  Jander, Raistlin, they all belong to WotC.  Nire and Azrael are mine.  No money is being made, this is purely for my amusement.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.  And thanks to love_of_my_life, who has been hired to be my official soundingboard, whether she likes it or not.  Chapters can be churned out faster now that I have someone to bounce ideas off of, as opposed to talking to myself.  …not that I talk to myself, you understand.  I'm not crazy like that, I swear.  I don't go walking down the street, arguing with myself, never, really!

Author's Note: Just to let you all know, and all of you be grateful, I nearly killed myself trying to get this chapter all written and typed out before I left for vacation.  Sunday morning and Thursday morning I'll be driving to and from the Poconos with my friend, at least a five hour trip each way.  Ten whole hours to write…

Story Notes:  This is the sweetest end to a chapter I think I have ever written.  I just can't stop grinning at the picture in my head.  I _really_ have to try and get this made into a movie, know what I mean?  I'll hire all of you people who review to be in it. :-D  A couple of my friends are good with special effects, and everything.  If you're all willing to work for free, or maybe for donuts…

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

           When Jander finally woke up again, he could sense that it was night once more.  He had slept through the rest of the previous night and the day.  That was highly unusual and made him slightly uneasy.  Sitting up, he saw Azrael slumped against the wall.  Of course the teen would not want to share a bed with a vampire.  Nire was the only one foolish enough to d that.  And he had almost lost her.

           Getting out of the bed silently, he quickly changed his clothes and ran a brush through his hair, tying it back with a strip of leather.  For a moment, he considered leaving Azrael to sleep and going back to Nire.  However, he knew that, not only would the girl tear his ass to shreds if he did that, but it would also needlessly upset Azrael.

           Kneeling down beside the boy, he shook his shoulder gently.  "Wake up, Az.  I'm leaving soon."

           His pale eyes began to flutter open slowly, then snapped open and blinked a couple times.  "What?"

           "I'm going back to check on Nire.  You said you wanted to come, so go get cleaned up."

           The teenager scampered, there was no other way to describe it, out of the room.  Within minutes, he was back, not looking as though he had slept on the floor any longer.  He followed Jander through the gate, keeping close.  Just in case.  True to form, Nire was arguing with Raistlin.

           "I'm _fine_!  I'm all better.  So let me up, I want to do something.  Anything.  I want to _move_."

           "No."  Raistlin's voice held the tone of a _long_ argument.  Jander smiled, hearing the weariness in the mage's voice.  Uncomfortable in this unfamiliar place, Azrael was torn between hanging back or sticking close to Jander.

           "God damn it, man!  My muscles are atrophying!"

           "Fine," Raistlin snapped.  "Go ahead and try.  You deal with her, Jander."  He stalked out of the room angrily, not noticing Azrael.

           "Didn't mean to piss him off that badly," Nire mused as she forced her sore body to obey her demands.  Raistlin was probably right and this was stupid, but she had to try.  "Hey Az, whassup?"

           "Nothing much." He understood now why Jander hadn't given any thought to him before.  Nire looked _bad_, sickly to the utmost.  Her skin was pasty pale and there were dark circles under her eyes.

           Ignoring the adamant protests of her body, Nire forced herself up off the cot, literally pushing herself to her feet.  For a moment, she teetered there, balanced precariously on the small area afforded to her by the soles of her feet.  This was certainly a stupid idea, and just as she decided a _good_ idea would be to sit back down, she felt her knees begin to buckle.  Jander leapt forward just in time to catch her and ease her back down onto the cot, his hands lingering a little longer than necessary.

           "Thank you my friend.  I s'pose Raist was right… oh well."  She grinned, lying down again and lounging amongst the sheets.  "Note to self: no more life-draining spells unless I'm sure they're going to work _all_ the way."

           "What did you do?" Azrael asked bluntly.  As corny as it sounded, Nire was the little sister he never had.

           "Tried to kill myself," she told him matter-of-factly as the two dragged chairs over to her bedside.  "Obviously, it didn't work.  Oh well.  There's always tomorrow."

           He didn't understand how she could smile brightly when she was saying that.  It disturbed him to realize that one day, she would be no more if she continued trying this.  A slight, worried frown appeared on his face whilst he contemplated the fact.

           "Nire…" Jander said pleadingly.

           "Don't worry," she said in a cavalier voice, smiling reassuringly.  "I'll wait until both you and Az are sick of me before trying again.  _Mov_ing right along… Hey, I hope that after you took that stuff, you had a nice long sleep.  It's supposed to make you _really_ drowsy, know what I mean?  Not forever, just for, like, the first couple days."

           Azrael was confused as to what she was speaking of, but a light came into Jander's eyes.  That would certainly explain why he had slept so much last night.  Or, yesterday.

           "Thanks for telling me that now, little one," he said, semi-sarcastically.

           "You're welcome."  She grinned.  "At least I remembered, eventually.  So, who knows a story they can tell to entertain me?"

*  *  *  *  *

           One full tenday later, she was ready to go home.  Physically, that is.  Physically, she was truly all better.  No one would be able to tell that she had almost died.

           In all other respects, however, she was never _less_ ready to return to her house on Earth, to return to her biological family.  After an entire week of not seeing or hearing _any_ of them; after an entire week of being around Jander and Raistlin almost 24/7, she honestly wasn't sure if she could handle returning to that place full of fighting where she was perpetually ignored until the most inopportune moments.

           But she had to.  Neither of them would let her stay with them for an indefinite amount of time, she knew that without asking.  If she absolutely _had_ to go back, which she knew she did before she wore out her welcome and lost their precious friendships, then she couldn't go back after being missing for four weeks.  It was time to figure out if she could travel through time using the gate spell she made.

           Not today, though.  After tomorrow evening, after Jander stopped by with Azrael.  Then she would go back.  She would go back and actually begin to think about what she was going to do about this new development in her life.

*  *  *  *  *

           Jander sent Azrael into Nire's room alone ahead of him, promising to be in there in a moment.  Glancing back once, he went in.  For the past week, he had clung to the vampire, not in a physical way, but certainly never letting him from his sight.  Jander was glad that he had let go of enough of his paranoia to go visit Nire alone.  Needing to speak to Raistlin without Nire hearing, Jander drew the mage off down the hall.

           "She's doing it again," he immediately said.

           "Pulling away?" Raistlin asked, running a hand through his white hair.  "Aye, she is.  But not in the same way as before."

           "True." Jander had to agree with that.

           "She's smiling more, her eyes are sparkling, for once she seems genuinely happy.  But… it seems as though she is once more walling herself off."  This was what was worrying Raistlin just as badly as it was Jander.  Before, she had been withdrawing and sullen.  Now, she was withdrawing but _happy_.

           "Exactly."  Nodding, Jander agreed.  "And… I think I know why.  Why she's so happy, that is, not whys  he's building up her walls once more."

           "Well?" Raistlin prompted after a moment.  "Why?"

           "She hasn't been home, of course.  No parents, no siblings… Just us." He paused, trying to decide if he wanted to say the next part out loud.  "I think… mean, well, wouldn't it make sense if… Shouldn't one of us-"

           "Offer her a place to permanently stay," Raistlin finished for him.  "Get her away from those people for good."  Pausing, her added sadly, "But I know she would never want to stay here, not with me."  _Never with me,_ he thought.  _Not Raistlin, not someone with my reputation._  There were times when being a semi-evil mage really had a downside.

           Jander could certainly commiserate with that.  He was a vampire on the move constantly.  There was no way she would even _consider_ living with him.  The bitterness was apparent in his voice as he said, "Nor would she agree to stay with me."

           "We're both in the same boat, aren't we?  The question is, though, do we even want to offer, just in case?"

           "And put her in the position of having to figure out how to turn us down, yet still keep us around?" Jander mused.  "I suppose not."

           Make in an agreeable snort, Raistlin said, "No, I agree.  Well, let's go to her room.  She's planning on going home today."

           Snorting angrily at the thought of his little girl returning to that house, he walked back with Raistlin.  In her room, Nire was slouched across the back of her chair and Azrael was sprawled across the bed.  She was telling a story, which she immediately stopped telling when the adults came in the door.

           Instead, she bounce out of the chair and said, "I'll finish it later, Az.  Hey guys, whassup?  Have a fun little secret conversation?  Me 'n' Az did."

           A very short visit ensued before Nire decided it was time to go home.

           "Raist, this is another one of those times when I can't thank you enough," she said.  "Thanks for letting me stay and all that.  I know that I'm a big problem, but what can I say?  That's just me.  Thanks."

           She turned to Jander next.  "Jander, man, sorry for doing that to ya.  One day soon, we'll go test it out, 'kay?  Or you better do it and assure me of the results.  So I'll know if I'm any good at what I do.  So I'm done impinging on your lives.

           "For now, at least," she added cockily.  "I'm going to go home now."

           Raistlin nodded.  He had been glad to have her stay with him, but he wasn't a fool.  She would never want to stay for good.  Instead, he nodded, smiling slightly.  "You're always welcome here, lass, you know that.  If you would like to stay for another couple days…" He drifted off, leaving the offer open.

           Yes.  She did want to stay for longer.  In fact, she wanted to stay forever.  She never wanted to go home again, to go back to that place.  But, she knew.

           She knew that they would eventually get sick of her, that she would eventually wear out her welcome.  So she said, "It's time for me to go.  I'd love to stay longer, but I have to go home.  You want to come with me, Jander?  Just in case?"  She wasn't quite sure what the 'just in case' meant.

           Jander, of course, pounced on the opportunity to spend more time with her, even though he had spent almost every waking minute with her for the past three tendays.  "Of course I do.  I'll be back to the room in a little bit, okay, Az?"

           The boy looked up at the vampire from his prone position on the bed.  He wanted to say that it wasn't okay, wanted to say that he wanted to come too.  He wanted to say that he still didn't trust Jander, didn't believe that he wouldn't just disappear again, leave off into the sunset.  He wanted to say all that.  He wanted to stay close to the adult-figure that had apparently adopted him.  But, like many things that would best be said out loud, none of that came out.  Instead, he nodded, stood up, said goodbye to Nire, said goodbye to the two adults, and left.

           He went back through the gate to his room in the inn, to his bed, and sat there, nervously awaiting Jander's return.

           Ever so quickly, Nire hugged Raistlin and, true to form, she backed away.  Turning to Raistlin, she said, "Let's go.  Time's a-waistin'."

           Chuckling a little, Jander followed her through the gate that she made, ever so independent, and to her room.  Nire purposely made the gate, enforcing the time in the same way she did the place in which it appeared.  She made sure the time, if it worked, would be a couple hours after she had left her room the last time.

           This was a test to see if it actually worked, to see if she could truly travel back in time like this.  So she glanced at Jander as they appeared in her room.

           "Look, stay here, I'm gonna go check out what day it is."

           "What do you mean?" he asked quizzically, looking down at his friend in confusion.

           "Well, yeah, I tried to see if I could go back in time to just after I left the last time so no one would notice my absence.  Not that they would anyways," she muttered after that.

           "_They_ might not notice your absence, little one."  Jander was tired of arguing this point with her because he was beginning to think that she might be right.  Maybe they didn't really notice when she was gone.  After all, he hadn't heard anything more about her mother regarding them.  What sort of parent would so such a thing as allowing their young daughter to go off with complete strangers?  "They might not notice when you're gone, but we, Raistlin, Azrael, and I, the rest of your friends… We certainly would."

           She smiled weakly.  Of course, she didn't believe it and knew it wasn't true.  But she had to smile to keep Jander fooled so he could keep himself fooled.  So she smiled weakly and left the room.

           Jander looked around the room at the mess on everything, waiting for her to come back.  Within moments, she had returned, closing the door behind her, a smug smile on her face.  He took that to mean that she had been successful, that she had been able to form a gate that brought her back in time.  This was certainly a new revelation.  This meant that he could travel through time… and perhaps change things…

           "It worked," she said, sprawling across her bed now.  Despite the enforced inactivity of the last week, she still did not want to move.  Were she with her friends, on Faerûn, or perhaps on Krynn, it would have been different.  But here, she did not want to move at all.  She wanted to lie down and die.

           "Yes… It did work," Jander mused, absently moving a pile of junk off of one of her chairs and sitting down.  "Yes, it did…"

           "Don't go getting any ideas," Nire said quickly.  "Seriously, man.  I mean… I know your life sucked, I know being a vampire sucks, I know that if you could go back in time and change things, you would.  I am here-" she paused and realized that she was actually going to do this, actually admit a weakness aloud.  "I am here," she continued, "_begging_ you.  Please don't go back and try to change anything.  Seriously, please don't.  You're the best friend that I have here, that I have I this life, and it's because of what you went through, what you are, who you knew and what happened to them.  That all makes up who you are today.  And I'm afraid that-" she paused again, not sure she wanted to continue.  Open and all feelings-oriented… She didn't like this, but she did continue.  "And I'm afraid that if you go back and change things, and it works the way that you think it will, you're not going to be the same person.  Do you know what I mean?" She said the last sentence quickly, so that it sounded like a single word.

           Upon hearing that, the true _feeling_ in her voice, upon seeing her lower her guards and the wall she had been building again for just that one instant needed to tell this, he knew that he could wait.  He could wait until after she was… gone.  He could wait before he went back and changed everything.  He could wait.

           "Don't worry, little one," he said.  "I won't.  Pinky swear."

           She grinned and reached out with her pinky, hooking it around his again and shaking it.  Embarrassed by this vulnerability she had just shown, she brusquely told him that she was tired.  Taking the hint, for once understanding why she was doing what she was, he left.

           He went back to the inn and poked his head in Azrael's door to show the young lads that he was still there, that he had actually come back.  Then he went to his room to stare at the wall miserable and wish things were different, wish that he could take his little one, take Nire and move her away from that place where she was so obviously miserable.

           He could see her attitude changing when she said she had to go home, could see it changing more, when she got to that room.  He could see what being on the world where she was born, what being there did to her.  But there was nothing he could do.  He wanted to save her and he couldn't.

           Because he was a vampire.

*  *  *  *  *

           It was a beautiful day, as far as all the optimists were concerned.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  That was on Faerûn, at least, in the area around Jander.  On Earth, the weather was Nire's version of the perfect day.  Thunder, lightning, angry clouds, and no sun.

           Very abruptly, Jander was awake.  As he lay in bed and listened intently, he came to the conclusion that it must be sunny outside, since he couldn't hear rain on the roof.  Getting up, he dressed slowly and made himself presentable.  Today, if it truly was sunny out, he would see if Nire's potion worked.  And he might as well do it now, as soon as he could.

           Nire, of course, deserved to be there when he did.  Oh, who the hell was he kidding?  He wanted her to be next to him, he needed her to be next to him.  So he gently touched her mind to make sure she was awake before speaking to her.

           _Are you awake, little one? _

           _That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you ask, _ she returned quickly.  _I felt you checking to make sure I was.  So, what's up? _

           _Do you want to come here for a while? _

           _No, Jander, I don't.  In fact, I never want to see you again.  I hate you. _

           It took him a moment of heart-stopping pain to realize she was kidding.  _Very funny, little one, _ he said dryly.  _Are you coming? _

           _Why, yes, I believe I will.  It beats staying in my room, contemplating the fact that I'm a month older, but they're all not. _ "So is there any special reason hwy you want me here so badly?" She switched from mental to vocal smoothly, suggesting much practice.  Or perhaps just much skill.

           "It's daylight," he said vaguely, looking at her but not seeing her.  Perhaps this was a dumb idea.,  Sure, he had faith in Nire's skill, but what if it didn't work?  Could he handle the anticipation and then the fall?  Probably not.

           "Aye, it is," Nire agreed softly, immediately understanding what he meant.  She could see the indecision written on his face, the inner turmoil.  Even though she hated anyone touched her, she still anted to hold him and make him smile again.  The damned potion was supposed to make him _happier_, not more fucked up and depressed.

           "Nire… what if…" He was scared, he could admit it.  If this didn't work, then he would be beyond devastated.

           After a few long moments of silence, Nire stepped up to a spot right in front of him, almost touching him, looking up into his face worriedly.  "What?  What's wrong?"

           "What if I said that I didn't want to do this?" he asked in a rush.

           Shrugging, her eyes turned confused.  He never realized how much her eyes spoke of what she was feeling until she was this close.  "Yeah, what of it?"

           He took a step back from her, about to ask the thing that had been bothering him for weeks on end.  "What I mean is, did you do this for me because you don't wish to be around a vampire?  That it would be so much easier to be in my presence if I at least _seemed_ mortal?"

           "Jesus _Christ_, Jander!" He flinched when she spoke, assuming what her answer would be.  Nire was always straight with him; he could never sense her to be lying, so he assumed she didn't.  That meant she would tell the truth, now.

           She took in the hurt and pain in her eyes and the way he was standing, as if expecting a blow of some kind.  And there came that urge to hold him and comfort him again.  "You always manage to turn something good into some nefarious scheme of some sort, or put some kind of bad twist to it.  You want the truth?  The whole truth?"

           Nire waited until he nodded before continuing.  "Fine.  The truth.  The truth is, I didn't want to do this in the first place.  The little voice in my head kept telling me that giving you as much mortality as I could was the stupidest idea in the world.  As soon as you drank the drink, you would be gone.  The only reason why you put up with me is because I'm safe.  I know you're secret, so I'm safe.  But once I have you the ability to live like a mortal, you would be off and away, leaving me at the side of the road like everyone else does.

           "And I figure that, once you can go out in the sun during the day and not fry, you'll become a day creature.  And that sucks for me because I _hate_ the fucking sun.  If I could sleep all day and be awake all night, I would.  And when that happens, what would happen to Az?  Would you leave him behind because he _has_ to travel at night?

           "But, ya know what?  I did it anyways.  Why?  Because last time you had to run from somewhere, all I wanted to do was go and kill those fucking bastards for doing that to you.  And you sounded like that was what you wanted _so badly_.  I'm sick of wandering around with you and seeing you afraid to talk to people because something might slip.

           "I would do anything I could to make you stop hiding from people.  Anything to wipe the sadness from your face, from everything you do.  And that was the best I could do.

           "There.  The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.  Happy?" Her stomach hurt again, the tight, crushing knot of fear.  Fear of his reaction.  His long silence wasn't helping any.

           Jander, for his part, was shocked to silence.  All he could do was stare at her wordlessly.  A crushing wave of renewed guilt hit him.  Once again, it was _his_ fault that one of his friends had almost died.  Logically, he understood that if he hadn't provided her with this opportunity to end her life, she would have tried in some other, more effective way.  Logic didn't direct his emotions, as much as he sometimes wished it did.

           There was more, though.  She obviously actually believed that if he could truly go out into the world of mortals that he would drop her.  How could she believe that?  Obviously, there was something he hadn't (or _had_) done to make it so she had that little trust in him.  Or maybe it was just because she knew that vampires couldn't be trusted.  How could she possibly know that she was everything to him?  That he would be more willing to cut off both off his legs than be without her?  Especially if he would admit neither thing to himself.

           As it was, rising above the guilt and sadness, was a feeling of elation.  It was the first time in a _very_ long while that he had felt the bubbles of happiness her speech had caused.  He knew Nire well - at least, he thought he did.  And the Nire he knew looked out for Number One first and foremost.  If something went against her desires, or would eventually cause something she didn't want, she wouldn't do it.  The fact that she did this for him, something which she had just _told_ him was the very opposite of what she wanted, said a lot about how she viewed him, about how much she cared for him.

           The tight feeling in the pit of her stomach was only getting worse as Jander stared.  She never should have opened her mouth.  It was a fight to not wince or massage her stomach.  This was why she never opened herself up to anyone, why she wasn't a touchy-feely person.

           Finally, she couldn't take the silence any longer.  "Well?  Are you just going to stare at me?  Either you can say, 'Let's go see if this works', or 'Never mind, some other day perhaps', or 'Forget it, Nire, I decided I _like_ being a vampire'.  All I did was give you a chance to choose.  The chance _you_ never got."

           He could hear the hidden fear in her voice, much buried.  Wonderful, another thing he had screwed up.  Thinking fast, he said, "Well, this situation calls for a hug; I was trying to decide if you would kill me or not."

           Nire smiled in relief and relaxed.  "You and Raist are probably the only two I wouldn't," she admitted.

           With the sweet smile that so rarely appeared spreading across his face, Jander wrapped his arms around Nire.  She hugged him back tightly for a moment.  Soon enough, though, she backed away.  That was enough feelings for today.

           "It's daylight," he said, smiling at her.

           She smiled back.  "Yeah, it is."

~~End Chapter Twenty-Six~~


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 27/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer:  Jander, Raistlin, they all belong to WotC.  Nire and Azrael are mine.  No money is being made, this is purely for my amusement.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.  Thanks to all the people who talked me out of leaving home.  Without them you guys wouldn't be getting this chapter and I would be somewhere in Maine by now.  While I can't say I'm grateful that I didn't just pick up and leave then, you guys should be.

Author's Note: Vacation sucked, just to let you all know.  My life sucks, just to let you all know.

Story Notes:  ::sigh:: Why is it that I absolutely love a chapter when I'm writing it, but hate it when I'm typing it?  I'm _really_ unsure about this one… tell me what you think.

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

            Nire allowed Jander to lead her out of the room.  She happily followed him down the hall.  Earlier, he had found an empty room with a window.  After deciding that was the room he would use, he had pulled down the shade.  That was the room to which he led his closest friend now.  A small sliver of light escaped from between the shade and the window frame.  Each step forward echoed hollowly in his head.  I felt like a death march; the only thing preventing him from running was the child at his side.

            The light fell into a thin strip across the floor.  Jander went to stand tot eh side of it, to the long side, Nire next to him.  There was a tight feeling in his chest, a hand squeezing his dead heart.  It was a mixture of excitement and fear.  A similar feeling had sunk into the pit of Nire's stomach, a mix of excitement and trepidation.  If this didn't work…

            Jander stood silently for a while.  Nire was the most powerful mage he had ever met.  He believed that she had the _ability_ to perform a spell as powerful as the reek of that potion.  But… that didn't mean it would actually work.  If it didn't, he was in for a badly burned hand.  And a badly wounded spirit.  Nire said this wasn't because she couldn't stand to be around a vampire, but she might not be truly serious.  It was possible that she had convinced herself of a lie.  If this didn't work, would she give up on him altogether?  Would she try again?

            That one thought almost made him leave.  It was enough that she had risked her life once for him.  That made him angry enough with himself.  The thought that she might view herself as forced to do it again was beyond comprehension.  If he never tried anything, they would never know.

            "Hey Jander?" Nire spoke up quietly.  "Not that I want to interrupt this clearly indecisive moment, but I have to ask.  Isn't this an awful painful way of finding out if this works or not?  If it doesn't work, I mean.  Why not try solid food?"

            "I prefer a burned hand to a sore gut from regurgitating food," he said, just as quietly.  This moment demanded the vocal respect of a graveyard.

            She made a sound that suggested that she agreed.  For another long moment, they stood in the silent shadows.  After another moment, Jander tentatively brushed the back of his hand against the back of Nire's.  When she didn't jerk away, or object in the slightest way, he slipped his hand into hers.  Her fingers, the skin silky and soft, curled around his, squeezing gently.  Gratified by the welcome, he squeezed back and held on, soaking up the comfort she gladly provided.

            As he was holding onto her hand like a frightened child, his other hand was slowly creeping upwards.  Unconscious of what he was doing, Jander leaned towards Nire slightly, so their arms were touching from the top of her shoulder to the tips of their intertwined fingers.  Nire didn't object, though, gladly providing the tactile comfort he needed.  Deep, deep down inside, she longed to be this close to people, to be touched and held and comforted.  But, alas, physical contact too often allowed people under her armor.  But Jander… She was beginning to think that perhaps he was different.  So she allowed this.

            Ever so slowly, creepingly slowly, _painfully_ slowly, Jander's fingers moved towards the sunlight.  They moved millimeter by millimeter, inching closer.  His entire body was tight, strained taughtly.  Nire could feel how scared he was through the tightness of his body.  His hand gripped hers almost painfully.  If she didn't think that it would cause him to lose his nerve, she would have reminded him that she was only mortal.  Of course, that wasn't strictly true now, was it?

            They both saw the instant that the very tips of his fingers crossed into the small sunbeam.  Out of habit, Jander quickly, violently, jerked his fingers back, curling them into his hand.  It took him a moment to realize, for it to sink into his head that it hadn't hurt.  There had not been a single iota of pain.  He brought his fingertips to his face and examined them closely.  Not a mark.  They weren't even red.

            Nire squeezed his hand reassuringly as he looked down at her.  Cautiously, he slowly put his hand, his whole hand, into the tiny shaft of light.  A smile spread across his face as he marveled and turned his hand over.  He never realized just how pale his skin was until it was exposed in the light of the sun.  Over and over again, he flipped-flopped his hand in the light.  Nire, too, was smiling, albeit her smile was tinged with sadness.

            Jander stepped into the miniscule shaft of light, pulling Nire by the hand to join him.  He reached out to snap up the shade.  Luckily for him, Nire's reflexes were quicker than his thoughts.  As soon as she saw his chest muscles twitch, her free hand shot up to cover his silver eyes, while she drew up their clasped hands to cover her own.

            "That was pretty damned stupid," she told him, wincing at the bright glare that managed to eek its way around the hands in front of her face.  "Allow me to explain something to you, chico.  I have the great misfortune of having to actually be awake during the daylight hours, and I have to occasionally be outside under the evil glare of the sun.  Sometimes, I will end up having to go right from the lank light of _here_, to outside.  Do you have any idea how _fucking_ bright that is to _me_?  Can you even _begin_ to imagine how much that would hurt _your_ eyes?"

            As she was talking, she was slowly raising her hands away from their eyes.  He was ever so grateful that at least one of the two of them had a brain.  "In conclusion, _never_.  _Ever_.  Do that without warning me first."

            He squinted in the bright, bright lights as Nire dropped her hands.  Absently, he drew her to his side, facing the window, slinging an arm around her wait and hugging her to him.  The world looked _so different_, even from the few times he had gone out at dusk.  Soft edges, so often blurred in the darkness, now were highly defined.  Colors were vibrant and dancing, almost leaping off the objects, as opposed to muted and quiet.  He would guess that he could see twice as well, twice as far, than he could at night.

            Nire, too, was squinting, just not as badly as Jander.  She wasn't lying when she said that she hated the sun.  Already, there was that urge to either pull down the shade or retreat from the room.  But, her loyalty to her friend, and the fact that it felt strangely _right_ to be in his arms like that, kept her in front of the window.

            Elated, Jander finally turned to Nire.  He grabbed her up in a huge hug, swinging her around in a circle.  "It really does work, little one!  It really does!"  He set her back on her feet, tucked against his side like she was before, and returned to staring out the window.

            Nire could only grin at his exuberance.  Inside, she was jealous.  She wasn't quite sure _why_ she felt this emotion and it pissed her off.  Perhaps it was because he was so happy when before, he had always been as down as she.  Now he had discovered that elusive happiness she had never been able to find.  And he had found it with _her_ help, no less.

            As he stared out the window, Jander's eyes were tearing from the brilliance.  Ever few seconds, he had to blink, his squinted vision blurring red.  Inside, there was a growing unease.  This… felt wrong.  It just didn't feel… right.  His instincts screamed that this was somehow bad.  While he assumed that it was just because he was so used to the sun being an agent of death… Or maybe not.  Perhaps, after all of these many centuries, he was _truly_ a creature of the night.  It was all so glorious outside, a shiny new gold piece, but it was almost _too_ bright.

            It _was_ too bright.  Bright and glaring and still painful, just in a different way.  It threatened to strip away everything he was, to change him.  It was going to remake him, transform who he was, create someone new.  Someone new with remnants of the old him.  The light was going to rip him apart and sew him back together.

            Or maybe he was just being paranoid.  Maybe he was so damned _used_ to being a vampire that it would take a while to get used to being semi-mortal.  Small steps.  Perhaps small steps, he had to slowly get used to being able go out in the noonday sun.  Tiny little baby steps.

            As it was, he couldn't take it anymore.  The feeling of unease was growing to a point where it was squeezing his gut.  He reached out and pulled the shade back down, blocking the harsh light once more.  The relief he immediately felt was replaced by panic.  He couldn't see.

            "Take a breath, Jander."  Nire immediately felt what he was feeling.  She was well attuned to his strong emotions by now.  "It's like when you stare at a flame, then look away and a funky-colored version of the flame still dances in front of your eyes.  It's the same concept.  So give it a moment."

            Her words calmed him.  She must know what she was talking about and she had never lied to him before.  He was merely overreacting.  Once again, she was right.  As the fluorescent picture of the window and scenery that had been burned in front of his eyes faded, he realized that he had his arm around Nire, and she wasn't protesting.  She wasn't even stiff like she was trying to cringe from his touch without seeming to cringe.  Quite the contrary, actually.  She was relaxed and leaning into him slightly.  It was amazing.

            Amazing, and he was completely undeserving.  He could not think of a single thing that he had done to earn the right to be one of the select few that she trusted so much.  No matter what she did for him, not matter how much he changed, he would always be a grotesque creature of the night.  Even if he became comfortably with walking in the sun, the simple face of the matter was that he was a vampire.  He had to feed on blood to survive.  Nire couldn't change that.  In fact, just the opposite, now she was dropping by every night to make sure he fed on _something_.  He didn't dare lie to her, either.  If she found out, there would be hell to pay.

            "Well?" Nire asked quietly, sensing something was wrong.

            He hugged her again, holding on for longer than necessary once more.  "Thank you, little one.  That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

            "Do you still need moral support?" she asked as he let go of her.  "Or are you done experimenting for the day?"

            "I am, for today," he told her, laughing gently.

            "Thank _God_," she exclaimed, moving two steps away from him.

            Talk about a downer!  His mood just plummeted to the pits.  "Am- Am I really that distasteful to be near?" he asked quietly, almost forlornly.

            Oh shit, she had done it again.  Just more proof that all she did was hurt people.  "Hell no!" she was quick to assure him.  "What?  You think I could have handled it that long without wigging out if it was anyone else?  'S not you, it's everyone else.  You just have to pay for their crimes.  Too often, the arms that do the hugging have a knife hidden in the sleeves."

            He wasn't sure what to say to that, didn't even know if there _was_ a way to respond.  That was as close to an apology as Nire ever came.  This was an apology for being herself, something that she would _never_ do.  While he couldn't be sure whether or not she was lying to him - after all, there was a first time for everything - he was certainly grateful that she fabricated and apology for something she swore she would never apologize for.

            Jander's long silence was making Nire nervous.  When someone hurt him, he always got this woeful look no his face.  It barely changed from his normal look, but she could see it.  It always made her want to gold him and cuddle him, basically make him feel better.  That feeling was dangerous to her.  Knowing all the shit that feeling this could get her into, knowing how hurt it could get her, didn't stop her from wanting to comfort him.

            And that look was on his face right now.

            And it was her God damned fault.

            "Jesus, Jander, I'm sorry.  And I'm trying.  Really, I am."  She stepped up to him, standing in front of him.  Her hand hovered uncertainly by his cheek before gently touching, butterfly soft.  "Just _please_ don't look like that."

            He smiled slightly, feeling so much better about himself, even though she backed away quickly.  For her part, Nire was embarrassed as hell.  She could not _believe_ she had just done that.  To preserve her sense of self, to keep her hidden fragility safe from braking, she drew back and withdrew her empathy to inside of herself.

            Jander didn't mind as much this time.  She had showed that one moment of tenderness.  So she _was_ capable of it, and maybe somed- He cut off whatever thoughts were following that.  Evil, nasty thoughts, when they were coming from him.

            "C'mon," Nire said, walking to the door.,  "If you're not going to try anything else, then let's go back to your room.  'Kay?"

            He followed her out of the room, a slight, content smile on hid face.  It might take a while, but he was going to make it seem _natural_ again to be out in the sunlight.  Then he would work on the rest of it.

*  *  *  *  *

            "Nire," Jander whined.  "Why isn't this _working_?"

            "Are you _whining_?" she asked, choking down laughter as she pulled the shades down in her bedroom and ran a line of tape down the edges.  He visibly relaxed when she did.

            "Yes I am," he said petulantly.

            "That's my job," she returned, giving up and laughing.  After making sure that no sunlight was getting into her room, she shoved everything off of her bed and flopped back onto it.  She tossed a pillow onto the other half of the bed as Jander lay down.

            "Why can't I do it?" he whined again.

            Sighing in mock exasperation, she attempted explaining it to him.  "You can't erase centuries of self-preservation instincts in three days, chico.  It's going to take a while, probably longer than my lifetime."

            "I give up," he said darkly.  "This isn't going to work.  I'm hopeless.  As much as I want to change, I can't."  He threw his arm across his eyes in a melodramatic manner that she knew was in dead seriousness.

            "Oh good God!" Nire exclaimed, rising to her knees and straddling his waist.  With one hand, she grabbed his arm away from his eyes and pinned it by his side.  "Knock it off, you big baby.  Go ahead and give up if you want, but don't start bitching that you suck at life unless you stick it you for a while yet.  Got it?"

            That certainly cheered him up.  "Yes ma'am," he answered cockily.  "Are you going to get off of me now?"

            She bounced experimentally, getting a grunt out of him.  "Nope, I don't think so.  You're pretty comfortable.  Put up your knees so I can lean back."

            Chuckling, he did as she asked.  "Little one, how do you manage to survive with a personality that clashes with itself so much?"

            "It doesn't," she said as she leaned back and laced her fingers behind her head.  "Ah, very good."

            "So… are you going to explain?" he finally asked, dying of curiosity.

            "Dunno.  'Splain what?" She wiggled around a bit, settling herself more comfortably against his legs, clearly taking joy in the fact that she was sitting on top of him.

            "How is it that your personality _doesn't_ conflict with itself."  Now he was beginning to wonder if he were pushing this too far.  If she was this comfortable with physical contact right now, he didn't want to scare her off.  Being around Nire was like loading straw onto the back of the camel.  That one extra straw could cause her to shut down.  It was the errant puff of air that made the house of cards fall.

            "Oh."  She pretended that she hadn't know that was what he was talking about, a slight grin on her face.  "Well, you see.  Y'all aren't allowed to touch me.  But _I_ can touch _you_, 'cause then it's under _my_ control and when _I_ choose.  And people from here, well, they don't touch me and I don't touch them."

            "Why the difference?" he asked, sensing he was treading on thin ice.

            "Because there is."  Her tone clearly said that was the end of the conversation in a way he had only thought mothers were capable of.  "Anyway, what are we going to do once it's dark out?"

            "Does it ever matter to me, little one?" He couldn't resist jibing her like that.

            "It does sometimes, you dork."  She grinned at him.  "Fine then, I want to go shopping."

            "Shopping where?"  Shopping when Nire was involved meant shopping for weapons, music, or exploring little knickknack shops.  All three were things he could handle doing with her for a long time.  The other thing that made the request not unreasonable was that she didn't _like_ to shop for long periods of time.  An hour at the most, and she was done.

            "The main streets of Waterdeep," was her immediate answer, daring him to deny her when she was in the position to bounce on his stomach.

            "Little one…" he had to try, though.  If there was any way to get out of it, he would.  It wasn't his safety he was worried about if (_when_, a little voice whispered in his mind) people recognized him, but Nire's.  People dealt swiftly and harshly with those who associated with vampires and knew their nature.

            "Don't even _try_ to work your way out of it again," she warned him.

            "And what if someone recognizes me?" he asked quietly.

            She waved her hand in the air, disregarding his concern as trivial, and yet, at the same time, not trivializing it.  "Don't worry so much, chico.  Bit city - I bet they run vampires out all the time.  Or stake 'em," she added as an afterthought.  "They won't remember you.  And even if they did, the odds of them recognizing you are slim."

            "What if we run into your friends?"

            "_Must_ we have this conversation _every_ time I want to go to Waterdeep?  What are the odds of running into them again?  I'm _not_ letting you talk me out of it this time.  I am set on wandering around those streets _tonight_, with _you_ along.  Got it?"

            "Yes, Nire,' he said meekly.  Then he sat up and physically lifted her off of him.  "Then let's go back to my room and see how much money Az has left me with."

            "Oo."  She couldn't resist mocking him.  "Big manly elf removes puny human from body in impressive feat of strength!"

            "That's an oxymoron, you know," he said absently as he formed a gate.

            "What?  The word puny used in relation to me?"

            "No.  Manly elf."  She knew he wasn't listening to her anymore by the way he was distractedly speaking.

            "Yeah yeah yeah, you take all the fun out of it,'" she joked.  "Let's vamanos."

            "Vamanos?" he queried, his mind snapping back to attention, hoping for a definition.

            "Means let's go in Spanish."

            "Let's let's go?"

            "Yup.  Shuddup.  Let's _go_."

~~End Chapter Twenty-Seven~~


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 28/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer:  Jander and Laeral belong to WotC.  Nire, the dog, the boy, the shopkeeper, and Azrael are mine.  No money is being made, this is purely for my amusement.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.  Thanks to all the people who talked me out of leaving home.  Without them you guys wouldn't be getting this chapter and I would be somewhere in Maine by now.  While I can't say I'm grateful that I didn't just pick up and leave then, you guys should be.

Author's Note: I'm not thinking I like this fic much, anymore.  I might be putting it away for a while to work on other things.

Story Notes:  A chapter in which the moodiness of Nire is shown.

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

            "Are you _sure_ Az doesn't want to come?" Jander asked once more, half an hour after sunset.

            That was the wrong thing to say.  Nire stiffened and turned on her heels to face him.  Had her eyes been angrily flashing at him, it would have been so much more reassuring than the coldness in them now.  He caught himself taking a step back from her and forced himself to stay still.

            Her voice seethed at him.  "_Fine_," she snapped, her words clipped to add further emphasis.  "Forget it.  You didn't want to go in the first place, she just stay here and do something with Az.  You obviously _much_ prefer his company to mine."

            "No, little one, no, that's not what I meant," he said desperately, grabbing onto her shoulder before she could leave.  The very stillness in her body as he touched her conveyed clearly that he had under a second to remove his hand or he would lose it in a bloody manner.  Not wanting to test how true that was, he hastily dropped his hand.  "I just wanted to make sure because I don't want him angry with me if he really _did_ want to go.  I'd be doing the same to him, asking about you."

            She sighed, expressing an emotion Jander couldn't identify.  "I know, I know.  Sorry, just being over-sensitive, as usual."

            He hugged her with one arm, squeezing her shoulders slightly and letting go.  "That's why you're my little one."  He spoke slightly possessively, which neither of them noticed.  "Let's go."

            They walked together for a while, not saying a word.  Waterdeep was probably the one town where an elf and a human could walk together on the street and not get strange looks.  Jander spent the companionable time marveling over how easily her mood could swing from being about to kill him to being almost joyful to be in a big city.  He still felt awful about how she had misconstrued his words, though.  Perhaps he would make it up to her somehow tonight.  While he understood that he didn't _need_ to buy anything for her to earn her forgiveness (which she had already granted), it made him feel better.  And she certainly didn't complain.

            While Jander was busy feeling guilty, Nire was watching the people they passed.  Her vacant eyes, suggesting that she was either simple or deeply lost in thought, were actually carefully studying everyone on the street, looking for the perfect person.  Wealthy, but not rich, preoccupied and not paying attention to the surroundings, preferably slightly baggy clothes… The perfect target caught her eye, coming down the street towards them.

            AS the man drew abreast of them, she suddenly stumbled, tripping into him.  As she jostled against him, her deft hands untied the poorly done knot that secured his money pouch to his belt and transferred it to her own pockets.  The man didn't notice, surprised as he was by having someone almost knock him over.  Jander automatically reached out a hand to steady his friend, not realizing that the whole thing was an act.

            Her balance 'regained', Nire apologized to the now penniless man.  "I am _so_ sorry.  I'm such a klutz!  Are you okay, sir?  Terribly sorry about falling into you.  I swear, I have two left feet!  I do hope you're alright."  Her wide-eyed innocence, while putting the man at ease, was making Jander suspicious.

            "Yes, yes, I'm quite alright, young lady.  Are you okay?"  She could see in his eyes that he was itching to continue on his way, but had to perform the social necessities first.

            "Oh, yes, I'm fine.  Dreadfully sorry.  Have a nice day!" she ended cheerily, beginning to move away.

            Grinning happily, she glanced back once to make sure the man was truly moving away.  Although he had his suspicions, Jander was reluctant to confront her, in case he was wrong.  The last thing he needed was to have he thinking he didn't trust her.  Not with her being as moody as she was right now.

            His suspicions were confirmed, however, when she pulled out a little bag that jingled with coins and began shuffling through it.

            "Nire!" he exclaimed, at a loss for words.  That she would so blatantly pickpocket a man, with him right next to her…

            "What?" she asked, telling him matter-of-factly, "If they're dumb enough to let me get my fingers on it, it's their fault."

            "You can't…" he sputtered.  "I mean… That's…"

            She interrupted him, further explaining.  "Besides.  He had lots of money - you could tell by the look of him.   He's not going to miss this."

            "He most certainly will!  That was _his_ hard-earned money!"

            "How do _you_ know it was hard-earned?" she shot back.  "Jesus Christ!  Where do you think I get my money anyways?  It's not like I'm old enough to have a _job_.  And I certainly don't have parents who give me money I can spend here."

            Of course he had suspected, in the back of his mind, that this _was_ why she had so much money on her all the time.  But he had never actually wanted to think about it.  "You have to give it back."

            "I don't _have_ to do anything."  _Get used to is, Jander.  This is me.  This is who I am.  I'm not hiding it from you any more.  Either get used to it or leave. _

            _Nire, that's _stealing_. _

            _No shit, Sherlock. _

            He couldn't out his feelings into words, and he didn't want to just show her the feelings.  If that made him win, it would be because she took pity on how he felt, not because she saw she was wrong.

            _What?  You think this is easy? _ she continued.  _Have _you_ ever tried to pick out a mark and jostle it just right so it doesn't know you're taking its money? _

            While Jander was trying to come up with a response to that, Nire was checking to see if the man had noticed his money was gone yet.  He hadn't, but he was thinking about- "Oh _fuck_!" she exclaimed and whirled around, dashing to catch him.  After a moment's shock, Jander ran after her, wondering what had prompted her to take off like that.  Was she running from him?  No, the curse beforehand led him to think it was something else.

            She finally caught up with the man, panting.  "Sire!  Sire!  You dropped this, or it fell off when I crashed into you, or whatever.  Here."  She shoved the brown pouch into his hands.

            He looked surprised and gratified.  "Thank you, miss.  Here, for your trouble."

            She waved off the proffered coin.  "No trouble at all."

            Before he could try to offer again, she had turned and was running back the other way to find Jander again.  Not knowing that he was almost right behind her, she had to skid to a stop, this time _really_ coming close to falling.  Jander caught her easily and set her on her feet.  She almost _dragged_ him back the way they were going.

            "Care to explain?" he asked her as they moved away.  There was a look that almost passed for guilt on her face.

            "I've really got to learn to check their surface thoughts first.  His father just died and left him lots of money.  They were dirt poor before 'cause his dad wouldn't give 'em any money for some reason.  And now he's buying stuff for his family.  An' I can't take money from someone like that.  Contrary to what you think, I _do_ have some morals."

            A frustrated growl escaped from Jander's lips.  "How can I make you understand this?"

            "The same question has been running through my head," she responded dryly.  Unbeknownst to him, she had already chosen another mark.  As the woman brushed past Nire, her fingers slithered in and drew out enough money to keep her happy.  She pocketed it while the woman walked on, oblivious.

            "How would _you_ feel if you were in their place, little one?" Jander finally asked.

            "Assuming I had plenty to spare?" she asked, thinking it over for a minute.  "Well, if it wasn't some other rich dude, I wouldn't care."

            "Yes you would!" he cried, even though he couldn't sense a lie.

            "I would not.  Just drop it.  Neither of us are going to win, and I don't want to be pissed at you."

            He sighed in frustration, but did as she requested.  It wasn't worth getting in a fight over it now.  When she was in a better mood, he would confront her again.  He couldn't help but wonder what made her so touchy today.  There wad always that sneaking suspicion that her family had done something again.  She wouldn't tell him, though.  No, she preferred to keep everything bottled up inside and pretend that nothing bothered her.  The problem was, sometimes, he wasn't sure if she was pretending.

            As it was, if he pressed her to talk, it would merely make her more irritable.  He just… he just wished that she trusted hi enough to talk to him.  They walked silently for a while, Jander strewing about all of that and Nire stewing about hwy he couldn't see her side of the thing.

            They turned down a side street at the same time, expecting the other one to follow.  So alike were they in their thinking, their want to get away from the crowds and onto a quieter street, that it seemed they had discussed it beforehand.  Nire absently kept track of the buildings they went by, waiting for something to catch her eye.  And something finally did.

            "Oh my God!  They're _adorable_!"  She stopped so abruptly that Jander kept walking for a few steps before realizing she wasn't beside him.

            She had stopped in a place between two buildings.  A relatively clean boy, definitely from the bad end of town, was standing there.  At first, Jander couldn't see what she was cooing over, but then she knelt down.  Sweet Lathander, a box of puppies.  All he could do as pray that she wasn't like every other female in the world.  Otherwise…

            "How old are they?" Nire asked, scratching the perky ears of all four puppies.  Four bushy tails wagged in response, red tongues dangling.

            "Six weeks ol', miss."

            The runt of the litter was drawing her attention the most.  The other three were yipping and bouncing, trying to get out of the box.  They were a shadowy gray color, reminding her in passing of huskies.  All four had blue eyes, but the black fur of the runt made the eyes stand out even more.  It was just standing there, its tongue lolling happily, tail sweeping back and forth slowly.  Nire could have _sworn_ the puppy was laughing at her.

            "What kind of dogs are they?"

            "Um… They're not 'zactly dogs, miss.  Their mum was half wolf, an' their da was a full wolf."

            "Neat!" she exclaimed, reaching her hands down to pick up the black one.

            "Er… She might bite'cha, miss.  She's a moody 'un."

            Nire ignored the warning and picked up the puppy, cuddling it to her chest.  The not-short-but-not-long fur was soft as goose down.  "Aw,' she cooed, "you're so sweet, yes you are.  You're a pretty puppy!"

            As befit what he was, Jander had been hanging back.  The puppies were to young to be able to sense what he was unless he was really close to them.  It wouldn't do to have them go into a frenzy of barking and draw attention to him.  Although he hid it well, he was _nervous_, being here.

            But when Nire summoned him over, he came, albeit reluctantly.  "Jander!  C'mere!  Isn't she adorable?"

            As soon as he got close, the puppy began to growl menacingly and snapped at him, struggling to get out of Nire's arms.  "Knock it off, missy," Nire said gently, in that high-pitched voice people use to talk to animals.  "He's not going to hurt anyone."

            Jander could have died of shock when it actually _stopped_ growling.  "Yes, she is a beauty," he commented as Nire continued to soothe the pup.

            "Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a dog like her around?" she asked slyly.

            "Oh no, no no no no no," Jander began protesting immediately.  "You can't take her home and _I_ certainly can't keep her for you."

            "Of course you can!" Nire wasn't about to give this up without a fight.

            "No!"  Two sentences.  She had spoken two sentences and he was already losing.

            "Please?" She used all of her acting skills to make her eyes big and sad, pleading with him.

            "Well…" He couldn't relent.  _Could not_.  Animals did not like vampires.  Although, whatever Nire had done seemed to have calmed this one down.  And it really was a pretty puppy.  What could it hurt?  No.  Three-quarters wolf?  With all the time he spent on the road now, as soon as the pup grew up, it would be gone.

            He tried explaining this to Nire, but she didn't care.  "Big whoop!  If it happens, it happens.  Then it was meant to be.  C'mon, Jander, please?  Lookit 'er!"  She held the black pup up for inspection.  It looked around, blinking its eyes a little, and let out a half-hearted growl at Jander.

            Resisting Nire was futile.  The street urchin didn't interrupt, seeing the girl working her magic on the elf.  Jander wasn't sure how anyone could say no to Nire.  It wasn't like she asked for much, anyway.  But when she _did_ ask… Maybe it was just him.  Maybe only he was powerless against her hidden charms.

            "I suppose…" he said, reluctant to admit defeat.  Maybe the price would save him.  "How much?"

            Nire's voice, thanking him over and over, drowned out the boy.  Before he could ask again, she said, "Don't worry about it.  Here, this'll be enough."

            She pressed a couple coins into the boy's hand and fairly dragged Jander off, the boy exclaiming behind them, "Thank you, miss!  Thank you!"

            "How much did you give him and where did you get it?" Jander asked suspiciously.

            "Enough and none of you damned business.  And don't worry, it wasn't from your pockets.  That's rule number one - never take from friends."  She was grinning as she cuddled the puppy.  "Come on, let's go find a pet store of some kind."

            Jander sighed, walking on the side away from where she was carrying the puppy.  While he didn't doubt that she was serious about that first rule, it still disturbed him that she had rules like that at all.  The only one she needed was "Don't do it period".  He knew were a shop of the kind she was speaking of was located and led her there.  While she looked through all of the fancy items, she talked to the black puppy, asking its opinion on things.  The most it would do as lick Nire's chin in response.  But Nire took the little licks as some sort of sign, and kept moving back through the building.

            While he had known the place was here, Jander had never chanced into it.  He could _not_ believe all of the… the _crap_ they had in here for animals.  He had to wonder what would possess _anyone_ to buy something jewel-studded for their pet.  Luckily, Nire was passing by all of that, heading for the back.

            "What are you looking for, little one?" he ventured to ask.

            "Something _right_," was her vague answer.  "And," she added afterwards, "something that's not ugly and covered with stupid ugly sparkly jewels.  Yuck.'  The pup  barked in agreement.

            No, the wolf pup did _not_ bark in agreement.  It couldn't understand what Nire was saying, the yip was mere chance.  Jander followed Nire, shaking his head sadly at having fallen into the trap of the blue-eyed puppy so easily.

            After brushing off the shopkeeper, Nire stopped in the very back of the place.  "This is where all the good stuff is, right puppy?" Yip.  "Back here," Nire continued, "is where they keep all the stuff they have but don't like the admit they have."

            Jander fought back a sigh of relief.  It was an unequivocal fact that _he_ would be paying for whatever she picked out.  He would have to start making and selling more carvings.  Ever since the two kids - Nire and Azrael - had attached themselves to him, there were times when he had to sacrifice quality for quantity on the things he made.  It galled him to do so, but otherwise, the two would drain him dry.  No pun intended.  Now he understood why the word 'no' was such an important part of every parent's vocabulary.  He just couldn't make himself use it.  There were still quite a few pieces he was working on that were the quality he usually worked at, but others were made in between, churned out just so he had some kind of cash on him.

            "What about this one, puppy?" Nire held up a simple leather collar, brown and without decoration, while the puppy sniffed at it and the shopkeeper hovered unhappily behind Jander.  "That's a yes, honey?  Mmkay, hold that, Jander."

            He took the collar thrust back at him, and the whole scenario continued.  The pup would yip, Nire would take that as a yes, and something else would be handed to him.  In the end, he was carrying the leather collar, a leash to match, two wooden bowls for food and water, and some kind of rope toy.  The woman looked disappointed that all they were buying was the cheap items, nothing fancy.  When she tried to convince Nire, and then Jander to look at more expensive things, the puppy growled and snapped at her, little white teeth clicking together.  Nire didn't apologize or tell the puppy to knock it off.  The lady got the hint, though, and led them to the counter.  Nire shuffled impatiently, the puppy still growling at the shopkeeper, waiting for Jander to pay so they could leave.

            Back out on the sidewalk, Nire knelt on the ground and out the puppy down, taking the bags from Jander.  She talked to the little animal as she fastened the collar around its neck.  "There ya go.  You're such a pretty puppy!  And what a pretty collar you have."  Even buckled as tight as it would go, the leather hung loosely around its neck.  "There.  You'll grow into that, yes you will.  You wanna walk or be carried some more?"

            The black pup sat down and yawned, so Nire picked it up again.  It leaned over her shoulder, looking particularly happy, and watching all the people walking past.  Silent once more, it's little pink tongue lolled out of its mouth.  Jander had ot admit that it was a cute thing.  Now he could be sure that Nire had totally forgiven him for earlier.  It would be interesting to see if the pup became hostile again once Nire wasn't around.  While he was curious as to what her special hold over animals was, she didn't appear to know, and it was just another piece of her, so he wasn't too curious to question it.

            "What are you going to name it?" he asked as they began walking again.

            "_Her_, Jander.  What am I going to name _her_," Nire corrected as the puppy nuzzled her neck.  "And I don't know yet.  She's mostly wolf, so it will have to be something cool.  Something from another language that sounds uber awesome."

            "Like _etriel_?" he asked.

            "Not cool enough," she immediately said.  "Besides, doesn't that mean something like princess?  That's dumb."

            "Oh?" he asked casually.  "Then what is 'cool'?"

            "Dunno.  Something like… Fang, or Darkness, or Death-on-Four-Legs."  She turned to grin at him, a wicked gleam in her eyes.  "Preferably, something in Latin, or something like that."

            "Not Elvish?" he asked, somewhat petulantly.

            "No, not Elvish.  It's too… I don't know.  But Latin is good.  Romulus and Remus and all."

            Jander didn't understand the reference, not having read up extensively on Roman myths, so Nire took the time to tell him the legend.  When she finished, the nameless puppy had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

            "In conclusion, it has to be a cool name because wolves are cool.  And Latin is cool.  Maybe something odd, like Nameless or Nothing or Nobody, ey?"

            He had to laugh at her strange choices.  "I pity your kids," he told her.

            "I'm never having kids," was her flippant answer.  "Or a husband.  Too much work, too much time, and I hate people."

            "So what am I?" he joked.  "Chopped liver?"

            "No, you're Jander.  Special allowances are made for people named Jander, Raistlin, Azrael, et cetera."

            "Glad to hear that, little one."  He grinned at her, perfect white teeth flashing in the glow of the streetlights.

            Jander saw Laeral Silverhand only a second before she saw him, their eyes meeting.  Before he could escape, make a gate and disappear, Nire's hand had clamped onto his wrist.  He wasn't getting out of this.

~~End Chapter Twenty-Eight~~


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

Author:  The Wanlorn

Title: For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky 29/?

Summary: I bite at summaries, so you're not getting one.

Rating: PG13 for language and stuff.

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Pairing: Eventually will touch upon all pairings I like.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Disclaimer:  Jander and Laeral belong to WotC.  Nire, Tenebrae, and Azrael are mine.  No money is being made, this is purely for my amusement.

Thank Yous: Thanks to my beta, Kitrine.

Author's Note: I am bored.  And lonely.  I wish I had friends that lived in the same state as me.  I wish the friends who didn't had cars and money so they could come visit me.  I wish I could go to the mall to relieve my boredom.  I wish all my wishes would come true.  …it's not working…

Story Notes: I'm in a sappy mood.  Deal with it.

_Italics_ denote emphasis or thoughts.  I trust you to be smart enough to figure out which ones.  Or book names and the like.

_Italics _ denote telepathic speech.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

            "Hey, Laeral!" Nire called brightly across the people.  Although she could feel the fear in Jander, feel how tense he was, she did not loosen her grip on his wrist.  The moment she sensed the situation turning ugly, she'd let go.  In fact, she would even gate them both to safety.  But right now, she was going to make him face this particular fear.

            "Good evening Nire, Jander."  Laeral smiled warmly as she made her way through the people on the wide sidewalk.  She could see how terrified the vampire was, his eyes darting around like a cornered animal.  It was quite humorous that Nire was actually holding him in place.

            As soon as Laeral got close to Nire and Jander, the puppy woke up and wiggled out of Nire's arms.  It bristled at her feet, growling at Laeral.  The powerful mage had the sense to stop moving until Nire picked up the pup.

            "Knock it off, you little rascal."  The puppy's rumblings subsided as Nire spoke, obviously deciding this person must be okay.

            "What a beautiful puppy!" Laeral exclaimed as she moved closer.  "What's its name?"

            "Her," Nire informed, moving her grip to Jander's hand and squeezing reassuringly.  She could actually _feel_ his hand trembling ever so slightly.  "And she doesn't have a name yet.  I just got her tonight."

            "A puppy as beautiful as this one needs a name."  Reaching out carefully in case it snapped at her, Laeral scratched the puppy's ears, receiving a warm lick in return.  "What kind of dog is she?"

            "Three quarters wolf, the rest I'm assuming is a mix of whatever.'

            Laeral laughed.  "So you've basically got a wolf pup here.  She certainly looks it."  Now, the powerful mage turned her attention to the vampire, attempting to put him at ease.  "Let me guess.  She talked you into letting her get a dog by promising to feed it and walk it every day?"

            She had no quarrel with the vampire, not any more.  Yes, there were her fears and suspicions, shared by her husband, that the vampire had done something to Nire.  But the look of abject terror in his eyes put her fears to rest.  The preteen was obviously quite fine, her ponytail revealing her clean neck quite clearly.  The fact that the vampire was allowing the child to hold him in place when he quite clearly wanted to flee said a lot about him.

            Forcing himself to speak through the thick taste of fear in his mouth, Jander answered, "Er… No, she didn't…"

            He had never been this afraid in his life.  Or his unlife.  Of course he trusted Nire not to make him stay somewhere that was dangerous to him.  But she could misjudge the situation.  A single word from the mage could turn the people walking around them to a crows, and a crown could easily become a mob.  A mob that would kill both he and Nire.  Then, there were the horrors the mage in front of him could wreak upon him.  Now that she knew he was a low-down vampire, she wouldn't grant him a painless death.

            "I don't make promises I don't intend to keep," Nire said to save Jander some discomfort.  She stepped slightly in front of him in a clearly protective gesture.  It wasn't lost on either adult.  It was difficult to hold Jander's hand and keep him slightly reassured while cradling the puppy in the other arm, since it wanted to watch Laeral.  But Nire managed it.

            "And children never do keep them, do they?" Laeral said with a wink.

            "No they don't," Nire laughed.  "Which is why I so seldom make them."

            With a smile to acknowledge the logic behind that, the lady mage finally commented, "We haven't seen you around in a while…"

            "Yeah, well, matters of life and death have kept me pretty preoccupied," was Nire's flippant reply.

            Judging from the look the flashed through the vampire's eyes, though, the words Nire used were closer to the truth than most would suspect.  Laeral had to wonder if he had a part in whatever had happened.

            "Oh?  What do you mean by that?"

            "Nothing important," Nire replied ambiguously.  "Why?"

            "Curiosity, and it sounded like it was something serious.  I hope both of you are all right," Laeral answered sincerely.

            "Oh, yeah, we are," Nire replied promptly, absently scratching the puppy's ears.

            Laeral seemed to look past them for a moment, then said, "Khelben and I would love it if we saw you more often.  Both of you," she added.

            "I'll keep that in mind!" Nire grinned and squeezed Jander's hand reassuringly once more.  "It appears that life has calmed down for the present and death remains elusive."

            The fleeting look that passed across Jander's face made that comment far more revealing to Laeral than Nire had intended.  The mage correctly surmised that the child had almost died, most likely due to an injury intentionally caused by her own hand.  Laeral knew that she had been right the first time she met the child.  This girl needed a family, needed parents.  Especially if her birth parents were anything like the way they appeared from reading between the lines of Nire's talk.

            "Seriously, Nire.  You're welcome any time.  Just show up at the door.  Well," she laughed, "the gate until one of us shows you how to _find_ the door."

            This elicited a laugh from Nire, too.  "Ah, yes.  Danilo's told me a couple of his stories of expecting to run through the door and running headfirst into the wall instead."  She laughed once more.  "I'd pay to see that."

            "It's _well_ worth your money." Laeral commented dryly.  "Promise that you will stop by sometime?"

            "Cross my heart and hope to die," Nire replied cheerfully, forgoing the accompanying motions.  "Can I bring my puppy?"

            "Of course.'

            "Can I drug Jander and bring him along?"

            Her eyes sparkling with mirth, Laeral met Jander's eyes as she answered.  "Of course you can.  Although I daresay he'd probably enjoy it more if he were conscious."

            "Oh, but that wouldn't be _half_ as fun."

            Their banter was a mutual agreement, reached by an exchange of eye looks.  The purpose was to put Jander at ease, but it wasn't working.  He was becoming more uptight and tense by the minute, sure that this was going to escalate into disaster.  The fact that Nire was protecting and attempting to comfort him didn't help the matter.  She was the _child_ in this situation, for crying out loud!  She shouldn't have to feel as though she needed to protect him like that.  Yet, he didn't do anything to counteract what she was doing.  He allowed her to stand slightly in front of him, to hold his hand and do all the talking.  It made him feel like dirt.

            "Anyways," Nire continued, "I've freaked him out enough for tonight.  It was nice seeing you again, and I'll probably drop by in a couple days.  With my puppy.  But without Jander."

            "Okay," Laeral laughed.  "I'll see you in a couple days then.  Have a good night!"

            "You too!" Nire called as they began to  move away from each other.

            "Nire?" Jander said in a strangled voice as soon as he was sure Laeral was gone.  "Can we please go home?  Please?  I'm begging you, let's go home."

            "Sure," she said amiably and led him to the nearest alley, still holding his hand reassuringly.  Within moments, they were back in Jander's room at the inn.  "Better?" she asked, setting the puppy down on the floor.  It began investigating its surroundings, tail waving in the air.

            Jander didn't answer her.  Instead, he sank down on the edge of his bed and clasped his hands between his knees.  They were shaking uncontrollably.  He couldn't make himself look at Nire, ashamed by his cowardice.  It was ironic.  He wanted to be dead, he deserved to be dead, he used to pray for something to kill him.  Yet… he was still terrified of death.  He was terrified of causing the deaths of his friends.

            "Hey hey hey,' Nire said softly as she sat down beside him.  This was where she was in her element, where it was okay to be close to someone.  Hurting people rarely hurt her.  "Take a deep breath, okay?  I wouldn't make you stay if she was going to kill you."  With one arm, she hugged him and left her arm there, rubbing his arm up and down soothingly.  "I scanned her intentions first, the instant I sensed she saw you.  She and Khelben both feel guilty as hell, 'specially her after stopping to talk to us today."

            "You don't understand," he tried to tell her, his voice wavering.

            "Yeah, I think I do.  But listen to me for a sec, okay?  Had things rapidly deteriorated, we could have both gotten out of there, make a gate and gone poof.  Never in any danger."

            That didn't reassure him.  "What if she had foreseen that and cast some sort of spell to prevent us from escaping?"

            Nire was patient with him, more so than she would have been with anyone else.  "Yes, that's a possibility.  But highly improbable.  Mainly because I'm almost completely certain it's impossible to do so.  The whole reason why Raistlin and I created our gate spells were so that we could escape from situations like that, should the need arise.  We tested them all strenuously."

            With a shuddering sigh, Jander buried his head in his shaking hands.  "But it's not one hundred percent certain," he moaned.  "My gods, Nire.  She could have killed us both in the blink of an eye."

            "Why are you so stubborn?" she asked in mournful rhetoric.  "Listen to me.  You can't go through your life, through the rest of forever, being afraid of those who know that you are a vampire.  Have I tried to kill you, yet?  No.  You and Raistlin have reached some sort of truce where you both are frightened of each other, but you can handle being in the same room without wigging out completely.  But he hasn't and won't try to kill you.  So why can't you accept that there are others like Raistlin and I?"

            Silence.  Jander didn't say a word.  There was logic behind what she said, he supposed.  It was possible; anything was possible, but highly unlikely.  Nire was rare, one-of-a-kind.  Raistlin was merely humoring her for a time.  He had no illusions about that.  The trembling that had clutched his body was subsiding so that it was now barely noticeable.

            "Okay," Nire said when he still didn't respond.  "You're not right, but I _am_ sorry.  I had no right to do that.  Happy now?"

            "Ah, Nire," he sighed unhappily.  "Promise me you'll be careful?"

            "I will," she answered to reassure him.  Jander didn't catch the loophole she created by not specifically using the phrase, 'I promise'.

            The puppy began whining at their feet, so Nire bent down and scooped it up, depositing it on the bed.  No sooner did the four black paws touch the bedspread than it started growling at Jander.  In the miserable state he was in, he flinched from the sound.  Nire immediately began to scold the pup.

            "Knock it off.  Get over here."  She picked up the pup and sat it in her lap.  "This is Jander.  Smell 'im good."  In a remarkable coincidence, the pup began to sniff his arm up and down.  Then it crawled onto his lap and stood on its hind paws, two black forepaws firmly planted on his chest, and sniffed at his face.  "He's an okay guy, got it?  So stop growling at him."

            When the pup began to lick his face, Jander couldn't help but smile.  Maybe this little animal was smarter than he first thought; maybe it _could_ understand what Nire was saying.  When the little wolf curled up in his lap, its bushy tail over its nose, his smile grew.

            "There," was Nire's verdict.  "Now you're friends."

            "Yes… I suppose…'

            "Oh, for Chris'sakes!  Be happy for once!"  She was grinning, though.  "She needs a cool name, ey?  Something appropriate for a puppy black as night, a little spot of darkness."

            "She's your puppy, what do you suggest?"

            "I'unno.  Something cool-sounding that means something neat.  Like… Tenebrae."

            The pup yipped at the same time that Jander said, "That does sound nice.  What does it mean?"

            "Uh… obscurity, blindness, night, darkness… A general term, I guess.  What do you think, pup?"  Another yip.  "Okey dokey, Tenebrae it is!"

            There was a soft knock on the door before it opened and Azrael came in, clearly bored.  As soon as the boy set foot in the room, Tenebrae jumped to the floor, growling.  She didn't try to attack, rather, stood halfway between Azrael and the two friends.

            "Tenebrae!  Knock it off.  He's Azrael - he's okay, too.  Got it?"  Tail wagging cautiously, Tenebrae moved forward and sniffed at Azrael's feet before sitting back and staring up at him, panting happily.

            "When'd you get a dog?" he asked.  "Can I pet her?"

            "Tonight and sure.  Her name's Tenebrae, in case you hadn't figured it out."

            He crouched down and started scratching the puppy's ears.  "You guys are back early."

            Uncertain of how to answer, Jander clanged at Nire.  He _really_ needed to break this habit of relying on her to save him, to tell him how to respond without revealing too much.  But she was already opening her mouth.  "Yeah, I got kind of bored, and I wanted to bring Tenebrae back here to get used to the place, ya know?"

            "You're not taking her home with you?"

            "Hell no!  My parents would go ripshit!  Naw, she's staying with Jander during the day - don't even open your mouth, I said Jander - and I'll come take her at night whenever I'm not home.  Which means I'll be spending a whole hell of a lot of time here."

            "But why?" he whined as the pup trotted back to sit at Nire's feet.

            "Because she likes Jander better than you, kid.  Besides, Jander won't mind if I show up at random times during the day and night."

            Jander had to add his two cents in.  "Do you really want to wake up at all hours of the day to let her outside?"

            "Well…"

            "Yeah, see?" Nire grinned.  Tenebrae whined and trotted over to the door, sitting expectantly and whining again.  "_See_?  I'll be back you guys."

            She disappeared out of the room, Tenebrae at her heels.  Once she was out of the door, Azrael sat on the floor by the bed, leaning back on his hands.

            "What'd you guys do?"

            "Bought a puppy," Jander responded with an air of hopeless amazement.

            "Uh… Can I ask you something?" The boy sounded unsure of himself and slightly nervous.  Great.

            "Sure," Jander responded.  _Why not?  Let the questions about vampires roll!  Just add more to my misery._

            "Uh… well, if the dog-"

            "Wolf," Jander corrected.  "She's mostly wolf."

            "Right.  Well, if she has to go outside during the day…"

            "I can handle it for short periods of time.  Long enough."  That wasn't strictly true now. But the teenager didn't need to know that he was able to go outside during the day now.

            "Oh."  Silence.

            Then Nire came back, Tenebrae still at her side.  "Yeah.  She just stays with ya, so don't worry 'bout a leash when you take her out."

            She was carrying the two bowls stacked on top of each other.  Neither male could remember her taking them out of the room, but then again, the bag _was_ dropped by the door.  When she put them down, they could see that one was filled with water, one with meat scraps.  Tenebrae immediately started gobbling the meat and lapping at the water.

            "The people in the kitchen think she's adorably," Nire informed them.  She flopped onto Jander's bed, clearly claiming it as hers until she went home.  "Smart pup.  She already knows that she's gotta make noise at the door when she has to piss 'n' shit."

            Azrael laughed and Jander rolled his eyes.  This wolf pup would be an interesting ingredient tossed into the mix.

*  *  *  *  *

            Much later that night, as the sun was cresting the horizon, Jander finally lay down on his bed.  Nire had left and Azrael was already in bed.  Now, Jander was about to go to sleep.  He heard a whine coming from beside the bed.  Peering over the side, he saw Tenebrae sitting there, looking up at him sadly.

            With a sigh, he reached down carefully to pick up the puppy, not sure how she would react.  Nire was gone, so all bets were off.  But the black pup happily allowed him to pick her up and put her on the bed.  Then she curled up next to him, her back snug against his side, and went to sleep.  Soon after, he fell asleep, too.

~~End Chapter Twenty-Nine~~


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